Another Begins
by Kiwifan7
Summary: "The journey is over, I wonder when the next will begin." Following the events of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning finds herself in Karakura town, running into an orange haired man almost immediately. However, one can never escape their past... Adult Ichigo/Lightning. A/U
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, my first foray into crossovers! Both titles have such a rich mythology and a brilliant set of characters, so what would it look like if their worlds collided?**

 **As with any story of mine, read, review, but most importantly, ENJOY!**

 **I own neither Bleach, nor Final Fantasy**

 **XXXXXX**

The clacking of wheels on the railway made for a steady mantra of progress as the train barreled along. Outside of the passenger cars countless trees, houses and hills passed by in a blur on the early summer day.

Inside the car, there were only a handful of people, each minding their business, absorbed in their own thoughts. One, in particular, stared in deep contemplation out of the window to her right.

' _The journey is over now_ _…_

 _I wonder when the next will begin._ _'_

Lightni… _Claire_ Farron shook her head as she mentally corrected herself for what felt like the millionth time.

' _This is going to take some getting used to. I_ _'_ _ve been Lightning for so long, is there even a_ _'_ _Claire_ _'_ _left? After having my emotions ripped from me, only to have them returned with even more, I am not sure that anything_ _'_ _Claire_ _'_ _is left. Sure, Serah says that there is, but she's the eternal optimist..._ _'_

Serah _._

The name never failed to stir the elder Farron's emotions. Serah—the one they had all gone to save. The one she called out to across time and space for help. The one she had failed, and yet was given a chance at redemption.

Allowing a rare, small smile to play on her lips, Claire continued to think about the sister that she loved so dearly. Though separated, on whatever world this was, the rose-haired woman could not say that she feared for her sister's safety anymore. As everyone from her 'family' had been launched to the far corners of the new planet, she had seen Snow grab Serah's hand and take off with her.

' _Safe, indeed._ _'_

Claire knew beyond any doubt that Snow would honor his second chance until his last breath. She had seen such life in his eyes when they had been reunited, as well as in her sister's. Should any force ever try to harm them again, she knew that Snow would move heaven to protect her. Hell, he had almost turned Cieth without her.

Claire chuckled at the thought. Not of Snow becoming a soulless monster, but of the reaction Serah had provided when she had found out.

Before the group had been separated, there had been a moment of peace, that was soon shattered by a loud clap of flesh meeting flesh, as well as laughter. 'Lightning' had let slip Snow's decision to absorb all of the chaos and succumb to his grief, damning him to become a Cie'th for Lightning to kill.

The sound of a momentous slap could be heard well into the distance, as the younger Farron had made her feelings on the stunt known. It had taken a few moments to calm the girl down enough to stop beating her hero's head. Almost immediately, she had switched to hugging him tightly, telling him that her older sister would be the absolute least of his worries, should he ever try to give up or leave her like that, again.

Looking out of the window at the passing countryside and touching her chest where her brand once resided, Claire couldn't help but wistfully think, _'_ _Not like he_ _'_ _d have the chance, anyway._ _'_

She had to admit, she had been looking forward to losing that brand ever since _Lightning_ had gotten it all those years ago. Even with the incredible powers that she had gained, or the partnership with Odin that she had come to treasure, removal of the brand had been her primary goal.

Yet, now that she had accomplished that, as well as completed her duties as the savior, she couldn't help but to feel an inexplicable twinge of loss. For centuries, she had been a guardian, a protector. Now that it was all over, what was she left with?

Her humanity? Looking back, even with Bhunivelze's purging of her emotions, Claire couldn't say she had felt that she ever truly lost it. And there was her role as a protector. She had been a soldier before, a guardian in role as well as title, and those skills were still within her.

Still, even with those labels, there was nothing that stood out. She was no longer the 'Savior', no longer a terrifying l'Cie.

' _I guess that means that I am just_ _…_ _ordinary. Tch_ _'_

She scoffed, smirking at the notion. Whether Lightning or Claire, 'ordinary' was not a word that she would ever allow to stick. No matter what she encountered in this life, Claire knew that she would make the most of it.

Serah had—in the maddening way that only she was capable of— seemed to disagree with the avoidance of ordinary, as the first suggestion from her lips was "Now we can work on finding you a boyfriend!"

Once Claire had gotten over the shock of her sister's resurrection of such an annoying topic, the response had been an immediate scowl, followed by a sharp punch to the gut of the guffawing Snow, and a menacing glare to the laughing Sazh.

Still smiling softly at the memories, Claire noticed that the train had begun to slow. Looking out of the opposite window, she saw a platform coming into view and heard an announcement over the train's speaker system.

" _Arriving, Karakura Town._ _"_

Karakura Town. It was purely by chance that Claire had found this city, since she had no clue as to where she was, what the culture was, or even the name of where she had arrived. After landing none-too-gently from being launched to the earth, she had been surprised to discover that both Snow and Serah had landed with her.

At first, Claire had been quite excited to have her sister near her. The two had taken the first day to investigate their immediate surroundings, and had enjoyed themselves, taking comfort in each other's company.

However, the loud, blonde, 'elephant in the room' was more of a presence than she cared to consistently deal with, and she soon began to feel intrusive on the engaged couple's privacy. Even more so, disturbed at their—expressions—of love to each other.

Quickly deciding that Serah was being well taken care of, the elder Farron had taken her leave, deciding to explore the new world that they had been brought to.

Upon discovering that she had arrived in a land known as 'Japan', she had grabbed a map, closed her eyes and tapped the map with one finger. When she had opened her eyes, her finger had landed on the town, thus giving her her the starting place of her new life.

Collecting her bags, Claire walked to the exit of the train, standing tensely as she waited for the doors to open. She couldn't help but feel nervous at the thought of starting an entirely new life in a place that she had absolutely no clue about, a place filled with complete strangers. Sighing, she shook her head.

When the doors finally slid apart with a slight hiss, she stepped out into the sunlight. Pausing just outside, she took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Looking up at the sky, she saw a long, white streak of cloud stretching acro—

Her thoughts were cut off as someone collided with her shoulder, knocking her off balance and making her lose her grip on her bags. As she stumbled, Claire felt her temper flare at having such a nice moment ruined by some random person who couldn't even pay attention to where they were going.

"Sorry, sorry!" a deeper male voice called, accompanying a firm grip on her arm that kept her from falling down. Quickly turning once she had gained her balance, tensed for a possible fight, Claire was shocked as she came face to face with a worried looking young man.

A quite handsome, worried looking young man. Unbidden, a rush of heat spread within her chest, and her breath caught in her throat as Serah's comments flickered through her mind.

Disturbed by the uncharacteristic thoughts, Claire shook her head in frustration, regained her balance and quickly jerked her arm out of the stranger's hand. "I would say 'Thank you', but you really just broke even," she said in an annoyed tone as she smoothed her shirt.

' _If I wasn't in heels right now, I would have kicked your ass for being such a clumsy fool,_ _'_ she thought, aggravated at the entire incident that was tainting her first step into her new life.

Lifting her head, she was able to get her first clear look at the young man who had nearly knocked her over. He stood several inches taller than her, and her eyes were immediately drawn to a head of messy orange hair, reminding her of some of the more creative styles she had seen on Cocoon.

Continuing her observation with a raised brow, Claire took in the muscular build underneath a white button-up with a loosened top button and tie, as well as grey slacks and polished shoes. Whoever this guy was, he was clearly someone who took care of himself.

Shaking her head minutely, Lightning's powers of assessment took over as she noticed the way that he stood, feet evenly spaced apart, shoulders squared, and—even with him running into her— a general air of alertness. Everything about the man screamed 'military experience.'

Yet, she was pretty sure that he wasn't currently military. With his hair, as well as his attire and the fact that he had run into her, she knew that he was a most likely a civilian now. The most important fact was that he didn't seem to be a threat. Still, she was slightly comforted at the fact that the first person she encountered likely had a background similar to hers.

Not having heard any response in several seconds, she watched as the orange haired man looked at her in confusion, then as his eyes lit up and he removed a pair of earbuds from his ears.

"Sorry about that, again," he said while reaching up and scratching the back of his head. "I guess I got so caught up listening to these that I didn't watch where I was going."

Trying her hardest not to scowl, Claire was having an even harder time not letting 'Lightning' teach the man a quick lesson in manners. She had never been one to suffer fools, nor those who neglected to mind their surroundings. Military or not, people had no excuse for walking around with their heads in the clouds.

' _Tone it down, Farron, you're not a soldier anymore, nor is he._ _'_

Gritting her teeth, she reminded herself that this was a new world. She needed to start fresh, and she couldn't deny that getting into a confrontation with the first person she meets is not a great start.

In reality, his apology seemed sincere, and to be honest… He actually seemed harmless enough. Groaning internally, she decided to try and make her first acquaintance in this new city, and chose to step out of her comfort zone by lightening the mood with a joke.

"Must've been an interesting song if it made you want to run me over," she said with a raised brow. However, her usual monotone made her sarcasm fall flat, and she wanted to slap her hand to her forehead as she saw the brief look of confusion on the man's face. It looked like she was going to have as hard of a time fitting in on this world as she did on Cocoon.

' _Really? You_ _'_ _ve now told a total of one joke in your entire life. Way to go, Farron._ _'_

Yet, after only a moment, the man's eyes widened, and a small smirk spread across his lips. Giving a quick chuckle, he said, "Nah, can't say it was the music. I was listening to a medical lecture and got caught up in it. If anything, it only made me run you over so I could get to patch you up."

Raising her eyebrow again, Claire couldn't help the small twitch that tugged at the corner of her lips. However, her thoughts soon made her want to cover her face in exasperation.

' _That has to be the most ridiculous line I have ever heard, and damn it all if it wasn_ _'_ _t kind of cute. Wait_ _…_ _cute? What in the hell is wrong with me? Tch, thank any number of gods that neither you nor your jackass fianc_ _é_ _are here to see this, Serah. I would never hear the end of it._ _'_

Her thoughts were cut short as the man scratched the back of his head and said, "I really am sorry I bumped into you, miss…"

Sensing that he was trying to get her name, she sighed and said, "Li..Claire. My name is Claire."

' _Will it ever get to the point that I can say my actual name? This is getting to be beyond annoying._ _'_

Her annoyance was quickly forgotten, as the man suddenly—as if he just remembered something—jutted his arm forward, clearly trying to initiate a handshake. Tentatively, she reached forward as well.

"Claire? Nice to meet you. I'm Ichigo. You must be new in town, so I'm sorry that your introduction to Karakura was me almost knocking you over," he said sheepishly.

Unable to find the will to glare, the rose haired woman met his gaze and said, "Yes, this is my first day in Japan. Being run over is certainly interesting, but I can't say it's the worst welcome I've ever received."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly, stifling a grimace. She had no desire to bring up anything that might start a conversation that she couldn't have. Though she would probably laugh at what would no doubt be a deeply confused expression if she were to mention 'L'Cie' and the like, Claire didn't want her first acquaintance in this world to consider her to be mentally unstable. Especially if he was a doctor.

Looking slightly confused, Ichigo simply shrugged. She could see questions in his eyes, however, a quick look at his watch changed his expression to one of surprise.

She could tell from his expression that he was battling whether or not to go. Admittedly, she had no idea what he would accomplish by staying, but she could not deny that he was an intriguing person. Slightly amused, she watched him look once more at his watch, back up at her, then nod slightly as if resolving something in his mind.

Meeting her gaze once more, he slipped his hand into his shirt pocket and pulled out a business card. "Fair enough. Well, Claire, it was nice meeting you. I have to run, but here's my card. Japan can be a bit of a cultural adjustment, so if you need anything, just give me a call."

With that, the tall man walked away. Looking down at the card, Claire read:

 _Ichigo Kurosaki, M.D._

 _Karakura Hospital, Kurosaki Clinic_

 _080.5465.8793 (M)_

ikurosaki 

' _Ichigo Kurosaki, huh? Well, I suppose there are worse people I could have met, besides a doctor._ _'_

Picking up her bags and making her way toward the town, albeit down a different road, Claire frowned at the accompanying thoughts that were—for some reason—all in her sister's voice.

' _A doctor, and cute! Did you see those muscles? He probably works out as much as you do, Claire! You should call him for a date!_ _'_

Frowning even more deeply, she shook her head and walked faster. Her sister had brought up single, silly idea, and now all she could hear was Serah's voice talking about it. She had plenty of other things to occupy her mind, and dating a guy wasn't one of them.

As she continued into the town, Claire took in the sights. While not a major metropolis, certainly nowhere near as big as some of Cocoon's cities, the town was large enough for her tastes. It was clean and quiet, something she was only recently finding the ability to appreciate.

The people seemed pleasant, as well. Multiple times, she had returned friendly greetings from complete strangers who seemed to be kind for the sake of being kind. However, she also noticed a few things that made her wonder just how…interesting… life in this place worked.

Peering into the windows of some of the shops that she passed, she found herself in awe of what she was seeing. Looking into a technology store, the gadgets and items that were displayed seemed somewhat…primitive. There was plenty of functionality, but nowhere near the sophistication of what she'd used on Cocoon.

' _A different world, indeed,_ _'_ she thought with a frown. While she had experienced as many different environments as one could, she was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed by the substantial differences between the basics of this world, and the one that she had lived in before. She was supposed to create a life here, not as a protector, not as a champion, but as…Claire Farron.

How was she supposed to start this new life?

Remembering the card in her pocket, Claire paused. Ichigo Kurosaki, the man she met earlier today. Should she take him up on his offer? She had to admit, the advice of an intelligent local could make the transition easier…

' _And you could see him again_ _…'_ , Serah's voice sang in her mind. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Claire realized that she was beginning to hate her subconscious. Taking a deep breath, she brought her mind back to her initial thought. She wasn't the type to ask for help, nor was she truly interested in following her sister's suggestion.

Still, he seemed nice enough. Friendly, unassuming, and normal. She didn't make friends easily, nor was she the type to trust easily—this case was no exception—but she always trusted her instincts, and they had all checked out on her initial appraisal of the man. Claire was no social butterfly, so this Ichigo Kurosaki could very well end up being her first friend in this new world.

' _Why does this always have to be so complicated?_ _'_

Sighing, she brought her mind back to the task at hand, and decided to think on everything else later.

Continuing on, she made her way towards the city center, where the apartment that she had seen a listing for was located. Etro seemed to have thought this out pretty thoroughly, as there had been a significant amount of money, a mobile phone, as well as multiple forms of identification in the bags that she had woken up with.

' _I really hope that this is your severance package, Etro, and not just your way of prepping me for another shit-storm._ _'_

Claire…well, Lightning…refused to believe that this was a machination of Bhunivelze. Though Etro had been killed, the rose haired woman sensed the goddess' hand in everything about her arrival. The Yuel's had obviously been taking their new duties seriously.

Finally arriving at the tall apartment building, the elder Farron shook her head to clear it, took a deep breath and opened the door.

 **XXXXXX**

Rolling his shoulders as he stepped into his office, Ichigo felt several satisfying cracks. Twisting his neck, he heard a couple more. Today had been a long day, and he was glad that it was over.

To be honest, it wasn't really the day that had him worn down. This past week had seen an sharp increase in hollow activity, and of course, the shinigami that Soul Society had patrolling the town for years was worthless. Inexplicably, it was the same guy with an afro that was as lazy as he could be, so Ichigo had been working overtime trying to keep the moron from getting himself killed. Rolling his eyes at the thought, he looked around at his neatly organized office.

He had worked at the hospital today, as was his routine Monday through Wednesday. Thursdays through Saturdays were the days that he worked at the clinic, even with the constant stream of nonsense that was his dad's voice.

Ichigo had to say that he enjoyed his life, for the most part. Between work and hollow hunting, he found himself frequently occupied. He even enjoyed helping at the clinic, as it gave him time to see his sisters, who would often come by to see both him and his father.

Ugh, his father.

While Isshin always appreciated the help, he never ceased to give Ichigo hell about the fact that he should be out dating, having a life and working on making him grandchildren, rather than working every hour of the day fixing people and chasing hollows.

As he hung his white coat over the back of his office chair, Ichigo sighed. His dad was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it. It wasn't that he didn't care about dating or any of that stuff, he just had no idea as to what he should _doing_ in that arena, so it was hard to find the energy and time to dedicate to it.

Ichigo snorted. Tatsuki was always busting his chops about how awkward he was with women, anyway. Rukia liked to, as well. Ever since she had finally gotten together with Renji, she seemed to consider herself a relationship expert and loved to lecture Ichigo on the subtleties of attracting women.

What was he supposed to do? He didn't exactly have a role model of how to be smooth and appealing to the fairer sex as he grew up. Most of the men he knew were either lecherous old farts, pricks with sticks up their asses, and no better at dating than himself.

Yoruichi had even 'graciously' offered to help, but the mischievous looks in both her and Kisuke's eyes were enough to have him quickly decline.

His dad had tried to help: Ichigo would give him credit for that. Though his ideas would likely get the younger Kurosaki slapped, the thought behind them was appreciated. Still, it had been his dad—in a rare display of seriousness—that had given some of the best advice:

' _Son, don_ _'_ _t be afraid of finding love. It can be scary, and it can drive you insane, but it_ _'_ _s always_ _…_ _always_ _…_ _worth it. I_ _'_ _m not saying just grab the first woman you meet and marry her, but pull your head out of your ass sometimes and realize that there_ _'_ _s more to life than medicine and slaying hollows._ _'_

Plopping down in the chair behind his desk, Ichigo frowned. His dad was right. He needed to have a life outside of work.

' _Wait_ _…_ _what?_ _'_

Why in the hell was he thinking about this? He had just worked a long, productive, successful day, so why was his love life—or lack thereof—something that made its way into his consciousness?

As if on cue, an image of the pink haired woman that he had met today popped into his mind, causing him to groan.

' _That was a rhetorical question, Zangetsu_ _'_ _,_ he thought, only to receive a ghostly chuckle in response.

Claire. The woman he had nearly knocked over on her first day in Japan. There was no way that he was telling Tatsuki or Rukia about that, because he knew that they would laugh their asses off for at least a year.

Claire. Such an unusual name for this part of the world. Still, she had just arrived, so who knew where she actually came from. What frustrated Ichigo at the moment, though, was that he kind of wanted to know. So much so, that it had been a struggle, deciding whether or not to leave when he had been talking to her.

The woman had clearly been beautiful, but that felt like a secondary thing, after talking to her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about her—the way she held herself, the way she spoke… Something spoke to him.

Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose.

' _Spoke to me?_ _'_ "Damn it, what in the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered distractedly.

Yes, the woman was attractive, but that didn't matter, as it was clear that she could use a friend. New to the country, he could only imagine how difficult it was—and would be—to get used to life here. Maybe he would run into her again, and could help her acclimate herself to her new home? His thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle.

"You are an idiot, that's what," came a voice from the doorway. Looking up, Ichigo frowned. Standing at the entrance to his office was Uryu, leaning against the wall and pushing his glasses up his nose.

Had he spoken out loud? It wouldn't be the first time, he supposed. Still…looking up at the quincy, he couldn't help the urge to smash the glasses on that smug jackass's face. Why did it never fail that the know-it-all would be around whenever he was saying something that was clearly only intended for himself?

"You never cease to find new ways to be annoying, you know that?" he said, raising a brow as the dark haired man walked into his office and sat down in one of the chairs across the desk from him.

Chuckling once, Uryu said, "Whenever you speak, I always remember the old saying about the pot calling the kettle black."

"Did you come into my office just to bug the hell out of me?" Ichigo grumbled, leaning back in his chair. This seemed to be a trend. Whenever he would be frustrated or have his patience strained with things, Ishida would somehow magically appear to garner his attention and annoy him.

Actually, both men knew that neither was truly upset. It was strange, but after the last war, they had become quite a bit closer. They seemed to be able to read each other, much like his relationship with Chad. However, this meant that the younger Ishida was much more easily able to annoy him.

"While irritating you is certainly amusing, Kurosaki, I simply came by to make sure that you didn't screw me over again."

Seeing the blank look on Ichigo's face, Uryu groaned in frustration. "You forgot, didn't you? Damn it, Ichigo, you are not going to pull this yet again! You told Orihime that you would come and meet her friend, and you aren't backing out this time."

Ichigo sighed loudly as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. In reality, he actually had forgotten about the blind double date that his friends had strong-armed him into.

' _Maybe this was why I have been thinking about this ridiculous crap all day_ _…'_

"What is everyone's deal with focusing on my love life? Her, Tatsuki, Rukia, my dad, and now you?! It's like my life is a damn television drama."

A scoff met his complaint, as Uryu crossed his arms. "I really could not care less about your love life, or lack thereof, Kurosaki. My interest lies only in keeping Orihime's annoyance with your behavior from being taken out on me. You stand her friends up, she get's upset, and it all comes down on my head. Do you know how many tirades I have heard about 'Kurosaki-kun's insensitivity'?"

Ichigo couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped. It was hilarious, as ever since Uryu and Orihime had become a couple, new facets of their personalities had emerged in the strangest of scenarios. While some had been somewhat anticipated, others had been quite the shock to the group of friends.

The young, auburn haired woman—while still being the sweet, caring girl she'd always been—had developed quite a firm attitude, while the quincy had unfortunately shown signs of quickly bowing to her fury. Seeing them interact often left Ichigo rolling in laughter, which often translated into him being hit by one or both parties.

"Think that it's funny, do you? We'll see how much you laugh if I get Orihime to tell your father and Yuzu about your tendency to stand up perfectly nice girls and make them feel bad," Uryu said, a brow raised in annoyance.

Ichigo's laughter ceased instantly.

"You four-eyed prick."

If he thought Tatsuki and Rukia gave him a hard time and guilt tripped him over his lack of a social life, it was nothing compared to the tag team of his sister and father. Yuzu especially, as she also liked to police Ichigo's manners with the fairer sex. When she broke out the disappointed look that reminded him so much of his mother, but pouted in a way that showed she was certainly his little sister, he never lasted long.

' _Shit,_ _'_ he thought in exasperation. Uryu rarely pulled this card, but when he did, it usually meant that he was serious.

"Fine, whatever," Ichigo grumbled. Looking up, he saw that Uryu's brow hadn't lowered, but a small smirk played on his lips.

"Quit sulking, Kurosaki. It's one date, not likely to kill you. Well…unless you really screw it up. I mean, it's not like you have someone you were already thinking about," he added, his smirk growing infinitesimally.

The young shinigami's face showed his surprise, giving himself away just before he had managed to school it back to neutrality. The younger Ishida, being ever perceptive, chuckled in surprise.

"So you were thinking of someone? You had better not let the girls know, or you'll never hear the end of it. Anyone we know?" Uryu couldn't say that he was truly interested in who Ichigo dated or thought of, but the chance to make him squirm was hard to pass up.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo told him of his encounter with the woman named Claire, which only elicited a long sigh and a remark about his atrocious lack of manners.

After a moment, Uryu looked at his watch and said, "Come on, Kurosaki. We're meeting Orihime and her friend at eight, so we might as well leave now. Drop the attitude and at least try to be pleasant. You can daydream about your new friend later."

Making a rude gesture with his hand, Ichigo gathered his keys and wallet from his desk and followed his friend out of the office. As he locked the door, he couldn't help but wonder if he was going to actually see his 'new friend' again.

 **XXXXXX**

Space.

Time.

Words, meaningless terms in the face of gods. Terms that indicated limitation were nothing in the face of the limitless.

Omnipotent…omniscient…immortal…praiseworthy… These were words to ascribe to gods.

Weren't they?

The thoughts burned in the mind of the god of light as he floated outside of space and time, struggling to hold onto the last strings of life.

' _How did it come to this?_ _'_

His perfect world, his vision, had been destroyed by the one he had called to serve him—Lightning. The woman he had purified of the darkness within her, who he had blessed with such glorious power and purpose, had betrayed him and all but killed him.

Bhunivelze, had he possessed the strength, would have laughed bitterly as the answer was all too obvious.

' _Etro, you have been a errant, devious child indeed._ _'_

Etro—his one mistake—seemed to have come back to haunt him. It was becoming clear to the god now. In the meeting between his child and her champion, when they had briefly been one, it was obvious that the goddess had blessed the human with far more than a simple gift of power.

With his mind the only thing functioning at the moment, Bhunivelze suddenly realized that his creation must have planned this from the beginning. It would only make sense. The 'eyes of Etro,' as the gift was called, had clearly shown the goddess what was to come, prompting her into action.

The weakened deity could not have had many options, and she must have done more than simply grant the ability to see all of time to the one who was essentially _their_ champion. Unlike the foolish mortals, he knew that Caius Ballad had not truly gained Etro's heart. The humans may have called it that, yet it was truly just part of her life force. Lightning would have received something else, something more.

Perhaps that was why he had been drawn to the rose haired warrior. Some form of sentiment must have clouded his judgment, as it was the only plausible explanation. Etro had always clamored for attention. Had this been another example?

It mattered not. All that mattered was what was to come. Surely, the foolish child did not think that this was the end? Did she honestly think that she had killed god? What arrogance!

Yet, as he thought it, he questioned his own arrogance. Life was slowly leaving him, of that he was sure. Without some form of sustenance, he would surely fade.

After what could have been moments, hours, even years, Bhunivelze felt…something. It was faint, and his sense was weak, but it was there. A pull, stronger than the gravity he had created, carried him to what appeared to be a long tunnel. The walls of the tunnel were odd, a strange form of liquid that he seemed to pass directly through.

Dismissing this new development as irrelevant, he began to focus on achieving crystallization. It was his only hope for survival, and—though loathe to admit it—time had become a factor.

His concentration was broken, however, as a small, bright orb of light began to travel through the tunnel.

Upon reaching him, as he happened to be a hindrance in the light's progress up the tunnel, the small orb disappeared into his broken chest. He felt a barely noticeable surge of energy, as he had somehow stumbled upon a purified soul—the only kind that he could see or have awareness of.

The smallest traces of a smile began to form. It would seem that life was not going to leave him, as he had thought. The god of light would return to punish his errant servant,though it would take time, and many more purified souls,.

' _No matter,_ _'_ the god thought.

After all, what did a god have, if not time?


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: And here we are with Ch. 2. I have to say, I am really enjoying seeing this story unfold. I know that this crossover won't get the most favorites or reviews, but I just love these characters together!**

 **On a side note: A massive, enormous, never-able-to-convey-my-gratitude thank you to the incredible H-thar who beta'd this chapter! If you're a FFXIII fan, check out her awesome work.**

 **You know the drill: Read, review, but most of all-Enjoy!**

The setting sun was bright, and the breeze gentle as Ichigo drove along the city streets. Blaring sounds of guitars filled the area, streaming from his lowered roof, and he smiled from behind his sunglasses as the few people walking the calm streets all turned to see what was causing the commotion.

He didn't know when it had started, but he found that he absolutely loved this time of day. The wind through his hair, his music up loud, yet not loud enough to cover the heady growl of his car's engine; it was perfect. It wasn't even about the stereotypical ego boost, not for him.

 _Well,_ he thought, revving the engine, _Maybe just a little bit._

This was one of the few times in his life where he got to simply be Ichigo Kurosaki. Not Doctor Kurosaki, not Substitute Soul Reaper, not war hero, not big brother, not supportive friend. Behind the wheel, he had no responsibilities other than that of a safe driver. There was a sense of freedom in driving fast, a tangible—something— that he had never experienced before, and he had quickly become addicted.

Though he treasured each aspect of his life and respected the responsibilities that came with being who he was, Ichigo found joy in the peace that came with time to himself.

Revving the engine yet again, he reveled in the responsiveness of his car. Never the materialistic type, Ichigo's car was the one area in which he had allowed himself to splurge. He lived in a modest apartment, had few expensive possessions, and did not spend much on himself, yet he had quickly fallen in love with the thrill of driving fast.

He blamed it on Yoruichi. Ever since she had trained him in flash step he had been intoxicated by speed and couldn't just limit it to his spiritual form. The thrill of the world blurring past, the confidence in the grip of his tires on the road, and the bliss of the incredible symphony of his tuned engine had made this one purchase something that was solely for him.

Surprisingly, no one had given him much grief about it. Though his vehicle was loud, and to some, ostentatious, his decision had actually triggered quite a few smiles from his friends and family, who had only demanded a chance to ride with him. Ichigo smiled as he recalled all of the fun times he had enjoyed in this car.

He sighed, though, because the drive ended too soon. Pulling into a parking lot, he claimed a spot near the entrance and scanned the rest of the area. It was a part of his routine, really.

Every day that they could, Ichigo, Uryuu, and Chad would all meet at Tatsuki's gym to work out together. It had been a few years, but shortly after graduating college, Tatsuki had purchased one of the local dojos and turned it into a state of the art athletic center for not only martial artists, but a variety of athletes.

There had been a few questions about where the money for such a large venture had come from at the beginning, but when she showed them an entrance to an all-too-familiar desert underground, there were only eye rolls and congratulations. Kisuke had been happy to back her as an investor—though no one was comfortable enough to ask where he found the money—as he was glad to have another place to train the spiritually aware besides his own store.

It had turned out to be a good investment, as the gym quickly became one of the more popular spots in the city.

It also became a place that Ichigo, Chad, and Uryuu were able to express their competitive natures without causing massive damage to the city. Whether they were testing who could lift the heaviest weights— excluding Chad, of course—proving who could do the most repetitions, or even sparring with bokkens, mocking and exultant shouts could always be heard from the three men.

Seeing that both of his friends' cars were already there, Ichigo grabbed his bag from the trunk of his own and made his way into the building, eager to see the normally smug look on the Quincy's face slip when he got his ass handed to him.

 **XXXXXX**

Claire sighed in aggravation as she kicked shut the door to her apartment and threw her bags onto her couch. The past week had been one of the more trying that she could recall, and she couldn't have been happier that it was the weekend.

One week. One single week that she had been living this new life, and she had already found herself frustrated. She couldn't say that she was disappointed that nothing horribly exciting had happened. That had been a novel experience in itself. However, actually getting to the 'settling' into her new life had been much more difficult than anticipated.

Finding a place had been easy. The day that she had come to the apartment that had been listed on her suspiciously ready identification, she had walked in, provided her papers, and gotten very reasonable accommodations within an hour. Walking in, she'd found that it was even generously furnished.

Getting clothing had been rather easy, as well. Claire had discovered that 'Etro's Severance Package,' as she called it, had included quite a bit of money. More than she'd ever really had before. Within two days, she gathered a fully stocked wardrobe, kitchen, and even some of the local technology.

She had been quite pleased with herself that she had not only ventured out and gained the technology of her new world, but that she had also quickly learned how to use it. Claire couldn't say that she would have ever come up with the names of iPhone, iPad, or any of the other numerous devices, but she was self aware enough to know that she was no marketing expert.

However, she soon encountered some measure of difficulty. First and foremost, boredom. Her former military life had been too structured to allow any option to be bored. Life as a l'Cie had been even more eventful, and her life as a savior had been the busiest of all. Now, however, there were no enemies to fight or missions to accomplish.

She was a civilian, and she needed something to do before she ripped every strand of hair from her head.

Her job search had been a nightmare. Claire had found and applied for several jobs all around the city, trying her hand at many kinds of employers. Private security, sales, and even teaching had been sought out. She had met many different people who had been interested in what she had to offer and what she had to say, and she had gone to several interviews within a few days.

Lightning had failed them all.

Her name may have been Claire Farron, but there was no way that Lightning would ever disappear completely. The tough-as-nails, no-nonsense soldier was always lurking beneath the surface, waiting to pounce on idiocy and bullshit.

Knowing her skills as she did, private security seemed a logical choice. She had no desire to join the military and instantly submit her life to its rigidity yet again, nor did she want to join a local police force. The freedoms that she currently enjoyed were something that she was quite happy to keep.

Still, security jobs in the private sector were apparently known to bring in quite a nice paycheck and could allow her to use her wide range of skills, right?

Apparently not. Just remembering that particular interview made her blood boil.

" _Well hello there, Ms….Farron, is it? My name is Jack Wilkins. What brings you to Caleson, Fogerty and Associates?'", a smarmy, arrogant looking man in an impeccable suit asked. His accent was slightly off, but it was of little concern. However, as he sat behind his luxurious desk, his eyes roaming the length of Claire's figure had immediately earned her ire._

" _Hello. I am inquiring about a job as one of your security consultants."_

" _Oh? A consultant, eh? Well, those jobs only go to our most experienced applicants. Real experience, as our consultants are usually hired into high tension areas. So, just what kind of experience do you think you have?"_

 _Biting her cheek at the condescending tone, Claire straightened even further, pulling from all areas of her vast experience to keep her composure._

" _I have worked in regular military, as well as…we'll call it advanced recon…working in highly volatile areas. I have experience in wilderness ventures as well as urban."_

 _The brow that disappeared into Jack's hairline was almost enough to break Claire's stoic facade. 'That's right, asshole. My experience outweighs yours by a few hundred years' she thought to herself, holding her smirk in check._

 _Her impression on him was short lived, however, as she soon heard a soft chuckle when Jack stood and walked around to the front of his desk. Leaning against its edge, he looked down at Claire and smiled. The smile was cold, nearly cruel, and the words that followed only supported her assessment._

" _Not a scratch on you, though, I see. That, your incredibly vague resume, and your pretty pink hair kinda makes me wonder about what you're telling me. Here you are, a former soldier with a jacket of qualifications that most would kill for—literally—and yet, you don't have a mark on you._

" _Now that tells me a few things. It says that you're either just another girl looking for a publicity boost—a thrill-seeking brat—or you're a nice, shiny new mercenary. Honestly, I have no use for any of that crap. We do serious work here, not adrenaline rushes or kills for hire, so why don't you just head back to Afghanistan or South Africa, or wherever the hell it is that you came from, all right sweetheart?"_

 _As he spoke his last sentence, he leaned forward and patted Claire lightly on the arm. It was the final straw for Lightning, and she reacted. Without hesitation, she reached up and violently gripped his wrist, whipped his arm forward and forced his face down, onto his desk._

" _The reason that there are no marks is because I'm damn good at what I do. If you don't want to hire me, that's fine, but don't give me any of your condescending shit, and don't you ever question what I do. Got it, sweetheart?" she growled, driving his face into the wood of the desk._

Of course, that had led to her own personal escort from the building, but she could not say that it had been a worthless endeavor. She certainly hadn't been bored, then. The thought brought a small smile to her face.

Still, she had been itching to do something physical, and that event had only exacerbated it. While none of her other interviews had ended in such a way, they had all been ruined when Lightning's patience hit its limit. Pacing around her apartment, Claire only became more frustrated with every pass.

 _What in the name of Etro am I supposed to do here?! I have nothing to fight, nothing to protect, and damn it all if I don't have anything to do, period! People are just the same as in Cocoon, but—_

She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose. Bitching about the world wasn't getting her anywhere. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on her hips and let it out slowly. She needed to find something to do, something to take her mind off of things and help her get her focus back, and an idea struck her.

Sure, complaining wouldn't help her feel any better, but beating the hell out of something would. Remembering the fancy gym and dojo combo that she had passed several times in her trips around town, Claire suddenly knew how she could get her mind off of her annoyances.

 **XXXXXX**

"This set wasn't _that_ heavy, Uryuu," Ichigo taunted as he stood at the head of the bench, prepared to catch the weights for his friend in case he faltered.

A loud clang rang out as the Quincy shoved the heavy bar onto the rack. "I'd like to see you do ten reps of that, you cocky jackass. Without using any reiatsu, this time. I could cheat like you, but I choose to actually push my physical body." Scoffing, Uryuu pushed his glasses back up his nose. Ichigo always gave him hell at the gym, yet he rarely did any better.

"Aw, quit your whining. You always have some excuse or another for when I whip your ass, don't you?" Ichigo retorted, rolling his eyes. It's not like he could really control his reiatsu anyways. This was common knowledge.

"Even if you can't control it, it's still pretty weak of you to have to use it to lift some weights, don't you think?" Uryuu asked, his eyebrow rising almost in perfect sync with Ichigo's growing scowl.

"Oh yeah, watch me. I'm going to knock these out, no problem, and send you crying back to Orihime yet again. I'm sure she'll—"

"I'm sorry, were you two complaining about something?" a deep voice asked. Turning, both men groaned in exasperation as they saw Chad lifting over twice the weight that they had been squabbling about.

Seeing that he had both of their attention, he chuckled as he dropped one of his hands to his side, pushing the weights up with only one hand. The looks on both of his closest friends' faces were priceless, as were their angry shouts.

"Kiss my ass, you body building freak! I can't help it that your arms are bigger than my legs!"

"Chad, I—damn it. I have to agree with Ichigo on this one. That's just not even fair."

"Ah, sorry. It seemed that you two needed perspective on what you call strength", he said in an amused voice, holding up his unused hand to make air quotations. Chad, while normally quiet and reserved, couldn't help but to get caught up in the competitive atmosphere that always materialized around them.

"Bastard."

"Show off."

A laugh was his only response as he finished his set and placed the bar back on the rack.

"Whatever," Ichigo began. Instantly, his scowl disappeared, giving way to a challenging grin. "Anyway, since it looks like we're just about done with weights, anyone up for getting beat down in a spar, once I finish my last set?"

Sighing, Uryuu pushed his glasses up once more and said, "If you really are that big of a glutton for punishment, let's do it. I can't say that I ever get tired of your little temper tantrums when you lose."

"I think I'd like to give it a shot, as well," Chad added, quickly raising his one visible brow at the disbelieving looks leveled at him by both of his closest friends.

Chuckling, Ichigo patted Chad on the back and while grinning evilly at Uryuu and said, "You know what? Let's do it. It could be fun to get him up to speed in a sword fight, and if that doesn't pan out, it'll be fun seeing just how quickly he joins us in all of this complaining that he says we do."

"You're right, that does sound fun," Uryuu agreed, sending a smug look to Chad as he moved around the stand when Ichigo laid down for his last set, until the man's ever stoic expression made him grit his teeth in annoyance.

As Ichigo lifted the bar, Uryuu added, "Though now that I think about it, with the way he takes hits, you'd need Zangetsu to get anything more than a grunt."

"Are you that afraid of me, Uryuu? I suppose I could tie one hand behind my back, if that would make you feel better."

"Hahaha—Oh shit!" Ichigo shouted, barely getting the bar onto the rack as he broke into heaving laughter. It wasn't often, but when Chad joined them in their trash talk, it almost always became the funniest thing Ichigo could remember hearing.

Looking at the begrudging smile on Uryuu's face, he knew that the Quincy thought so, too.

"We'll see, Chad. Let's go, and I'll show you just how scared I am."

 **XXXXXX**

It took only a matter of minutes for Claire to reach the gym. Luckily, it happened to be within a few blocks of her apartment, which had her excited. Should this place turn out to be a decent spot to work out, she would have found her first positive piece of a routine.

The building was massive, both tall and expanding into the distance. To her surprise, and delight, it was incredibly clean and well kept. The lobby was inviting, with bright colors giving an appealing view, yet not so much that it was overwhelming. She was impressed, as stylish, modern decorating and friendly staff greeted her.

"Hello, and welcome to Fitness Firm. Is this your first time with us?" a pleasant—if not a bit too energetic— young woman in athletic apparel asked.

Nodding her head, Claire watched as the woman grabbed a folded towel from a neat stack and walked to her, holding out the towel as an offering.

"That's great! Thanks for choosing us. Your first session is, of course, complimentary. Please feel free to use our gym equipment, but also check out our numerous classes that we offer. Everything from cardio workouts, to martial arts, we do! If at any point, you would like a tour, please let anyone wearing one of these red shirts know, and we will be happy to help. Enjoy your workout!"

Grabbing the towel, Claire muttered a quick "Thank you" before escaping the almost too-friendly woman through the glass doors and into a room filled with exercise machines. While she could not fault the woman for her excellent customer service, she just wanted to burn some energy. Looking around at the fitness machinery, she knew that she'd have that chance.

Thirty minutes later, and Claire had worked up a sweat. It had been too long since she'd been to a gym. After a warm-up run, she had moved on to the weight racks. The tension in her muscles and the strain of pushing the heavy weights had been a welcome stress.

How long had it been since she had done something so normal? She could barely recall a time where she had simply been left to her own devices to enjoy herself. Even in this new life, she had been spending all her free time trying to acclimate herself to status quo existence, but the strain of working out was something solely for her.

Set after set, she pushed herself to the beat of the music she was listening to. In her efforts to learn the technology of Earth, she had begun to discover music that she actually enjoyed. Loud guitars and heavy vocals drove her exercises, keeping her feeling energized and motivated.

Finishing her last repetition, Claire dropped the dumbbells that she had been using back on the rack. She stretched, savoring the particular feeling of the tightness in her muscles that had been nearly forgotten. She was probably going to be sore, but it would definitely be worth it. Continuing to stretch, Claire looked behind her only to catch a pair of men staring.

She sighed in exasperation as she stood up. While she could not say she hated that men often found her attractive, these were interrupting _her_ time. She was not here to look for men, nor was she here to impress anyone. She was here to try and rebuild some of her routine, as well as work off some stress from the past week.

 _Why can't you assholes just get that?!_ she thought irritably.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her towel and walked out of the weight room. Normally, she could easily ignore the stares of others. She had gotten plenty of practice as a hated l'Cie, even more as the despised Savior, but today just bothered her. Feeling some of her previous frustration return, she stalked down a hallway.

After just a few steps, loud noises caught her attention.

 _Clack! Clack Clack! Clack!_

"Come on, princess! Get the lead out and fight!"

 _Clack! Clack Clack Clack—Clack!_

"Ow, damn it!"

"What's the matter, carrot-top? You told me that you were going to mop the floor with me, but at the rate you're going, I can only mop with your tears."

 _Clack!_

"Ngh!"

"Ha! Serves you right, you cocky little bastard! And just so you know, Uryuu, your insults suck. Mop with my tears? Isn't that cute. Did your li'l Hime give you a joke to tell?"

"S-Shut up! I just focus my mind on better things than pointless jokes. Whatever. Whoever loses has to buy drinks tonight, got it?"

"Hey, if you want to get my tab, that's fine by me."

Walking faster, Claire hurried down the hallway to see what this commotion was all about. It sounded an awful lot like Snow and Hope whenever they sparred against each other, which was a fond memory, but one of the voices sounded familiar.

 _Whose voice would I even be familiar with here?_

Reaching a large, open doorway, Claire peered around the frame. The room was very large, with several sets of sparring mats laid out. The loud clacking continued, growing louder as she caught sight of two men in gym clothes fighting with wooden swords. Closest to her, a man with jet black hair wearing a white sleeveless shirt with bright blue shorts danced around, catching a strike with his blade. While thin, the man was muscular and clearly able to handle himself— he swung his sword as if quite used to it.

 _Hm. Decent foot work, not bad on the strikes, but he doesn't seem that comfortable using two hands on his blade. Damn, he's fast, though. Faster than he really should be. I wonder if it's…Ichigo?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as the dark haired man sidestepped, revealing his opponent. Bright orange hair stood out against the walls of the room, and she looked down to see the rest of her first acquaintance in this world wearing a light grey sleeveless shirt and black shorts.

Claire looked on as the man she knew to be a doctor moved as fast, if not faster, than his opponent. Up, down, right, left, Ichigo swung his sword in punishing strikes, only stopping to block before going on the attack again.

Further analysis seemed to justify her initial thoughts about the man. The aggressive, almost feral manner in which he fought could only have been born from combat experience. Sure, his footwork wasn't the greatest, nor was his technique very 'technical,' but there was a simple grace about his movements that she could appreciate.

Seeing the pair continue in a long series of strikes, neither able to fully reach the other, she felt her face flush very slightly as she further analyzed Ichigo's style. As his motions turned him to give her a profile perspective, she was able to see that his shirt's arm holes were far wider than normal, and she caught a glimpse of rigid abdominal muscles.

 _Damn._

Swallowing the feeling that she was no different from the men she had just walked away from, Claire couldn't deny that Ichigo was a good looking man. He was tall, muscular, and aggressive in an animalistic manner—all factors she could definitely appreciate.

 _Now that is someone you should get to know better, Claire. He is one pretty—_

She quickly shook her head though, as Serah's voice once more rang in her mind. She could think that a man was attractive without thinking anything further, and she didn't need her sister to—

 _And he's a doctor. Looks and moves like that, as well as someone who cares for others? What are you waiting for?_

Claire slapped a hand to her face. It was a new sensation to actually be arguing with her sister's voice in her mind. This strange world was clearly driving her crazy, inducing an internal argument with someone else.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the dark haired man speak.

"Careful, Ichigo. Looks like we have an audience. I would hate to embarrass you in front of yet another unsuspecting lady, as you seem to lose all sense of coordination when around them."

Pressing his sword insistently against his opponent's, Ichigo grunted before slowly turning his head.

"What the hell are you talking—wait, really? You're really bringing that up? It was a damn accident! I couldn't help it when I ran into—Claire?! _"_

Claire could only raise a brow and smirk slightly as their eyes met. So, it seemed that Ichigo had not only told his friends about his inability to walk in public without running someone over, but he even remembered her by name. The shock on his face was somewhat flattering, as he seemed pleasantly surprised to see her. A small grin was forming on his face before he grimaced and turned back to his opponent.

 _Clack!_

"Ow! Damn it all, you four-eyed jackass!" he shouted as the dark haired man took advantage of the lapse and struck in him in the ribs with the sword. Grabbing the sword, Ichigo yanked it free and in turn punched the other man in the stomach, forcing a loud expulsion of air from his victim.

"How's that for a cheap shot?"

With a winded growl, the dark haired man struggled over possession of the wooden sword for a moment more before a large wadded towel flew in from the side and hit Ichigo in the head.

"I apologize for my friends' behavior, Miss Claire," a low voice called out from the direction the towel had come.

Turning, Claire realized that there were actually three people in the large room. Wondering how she could have possibly missed him, she looked to what turned out to be a massive man. With dark hair and skin, the man's muscles were monstrous. Even Snow would have been jealous.

Breaking her from her thoughts, the tall man continued talking as he moved toward her. "They can be quite competitive at times. Uryuu is unable to let opportunities to annoy Ichigo pass him by, and Ichigo can never let someone have the last word… or hit, in this matter."

The large man had a kind expression on his face. He had a steady gait, and like his friends, he seemed to be very aware of and able to handle himself. It would make sense, Claire knew, for those with military backgrounds to band together— like minds and all.

As the third man arrived in front of her, she was slightly stunned as he reached out his hand to shake.

"Hello Claire. My name is Chad. It's nice to meet you, and to put a face to the name of the woman whom Ichigo ran over. I apologize yet again for Ichigo and Uryuu's lack of manners, as they are still bickering rather than coming to greet you."

She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face as she firmly shook his hand. The aggravated looks on both Ichigo's and the other man's face made her chuckle lowly and she caught the hint of a smirk on Chad's lips.

"It's nice to meet you, Chad. It's quite all right, as I am sure Ichigo will find another opportunity to try and run me over again, especially if his sword fighting technique is any indication."

A pair of snorts met her comment, as well as an indignant scoff. The snorts quickly turned into full on laughter, while Ichigo's scowl seemed to become permanently etched onto his face.

"We are doing our best to teach him both manners and how to properly use a sword," Uryuu chuckled. "He has done the best he can, given his denseness."

"We do what we can to help him survive in the civilized world," Chad added with a grin of his own as he released her hand and stepped back.

"Yeah yeah, Chad," Ichigo growled, stalking forward to stand next to him. "You're just the nicest guy in the world, aren't you? All you and Uryuu do is bust my chops, and now you've gotten Claire in on it as well."

A bark of laughter escaped Claire before she could help it. She had so dearly missed having people act so _normal_ around her that she could do nothing but get caught up in it. True, she didn't know these people at all, but the atmosphere that they had was just too inviting.

"I don't think that they really had that much to do with it, Ichigo," she jibed. "You seem to be doing well at bringing it on yourself, don't you think?"

The guffaws of laughter that erupted from the men on either side of Ichigo made her smile wider. His scowl was back, yet she saw it soften a little as he watched her try to cover her laughter.

"Hardy har har. I'm just glad I can be a source of amusement for you all," he said, his scowl looking more and more like a pout with every passing moment. Shifting his wooden sword, he crossed his arms and sighed in annoyance.

Claire couldn't pass up the opportunity and laughed again.

"Well, there's no need to be so sad about your poor relationship with gravity," she said. "I can't do much for the manners part, but if it's that big of a deal, I could give you some pointers on your footwork and strikes. You've got the spirit for it, but you could use a little finesse."

By the time she finished, Claire was frowning. What started out as a joke had accidentally turned into her offering to train him. Knowing and working with men as she had, she was instantly aware that she might have just offended his masculinity.

 _Damn it, Farron. The first person to actually be decent to you here, and you go and pull something like that? It's a safe bet that his offer for any kind of help just expired. Not that it matters, because I doubt his medical practice would be able to help pull your head out of your ass._

However, Lightning's scolding of Claire's stupidity was interrupted by a loud sigh, followed by the man named Uryuu looking relieved and exclaiming, "Finally, someone else gets it! It's been such a burden, being the only one who knows how to decently wield a blade. So you are well versed in swordplay?"

Claire nodded, confused at the turn of events. After what felt like a long pause, she looked over to Ichigo and saw his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Aw hell, not this again. You just had to give him more ammunition, didn't you?"

The words had no real heat to them, rather exasperation. A thoughtful hum came from Chad, who turned to Ichigo and said, "She's right, you know. You're strong, but some footwork and swordplay help wouldn't be the worst idea in the world."

Ichigo's head came up to meet her gaze. Rolling his eyes, he hitched a thumb towards his friends and said, "Do you see what you've done? Now you've sent Uryuu into self-righteous-mother-hen mode, and then Chad has to be all zen-master and make sense. For the record, though, I'll have you all know that I'm pretty damn good with a sword!"

He turned to snap at the Quincy, "You know that better than most, Uryuu."

Claire paused, shocked. He wasn't mad? Aside from Snow, most men that she'd ever given advice to—barring her ranking above them—had turned into petty children. Ichigo just seemed annoyed that Uryuu had more material to mock him with, not because a woman was telling him how to fight. It was confusing, as it felt like she was back with her friends, the way they were when they all had l'Cie powers and were bored on Pulse.

She didn't have any more time to think about it, as Ichigo continued to talk.

"So you're good with a sword, huh? Well, if you're not too tired, you wanna to give us a demonstration? It'll get Uryuu to shut up, and he might even learn something, given that you want to teach."

A slender, pink brow raised at the challenge hidden in his words.

 _Well, well, the doctor has a sense of humor. Sounds like he isn't used to losing very often. This should be interesting, maybe even fun. Still…_

"Are you sure?" she asked, not wanting to alienate the first group of people that didn't make her want to hit something. "I didn't come by to try and be a jerk or anything. I wouldn't want to im—"

"Don't worry about hurting him," Uryuu interrupted. "That head of his is pretty much made of stone, so he can take a good beating. He just has no clue what he's doing unless he's hacking as hard as he can at something, so you may want to watch your head for any wild swings."

"You're one to talk!" Ichigo barked back, reaching out with the wooden sword still in his hand and whacking his friend on the knee. His other hand snapped out and grabbed the sword from Uryuu's hand and tossed it to Claire.

"Come on, nothing wrong with a friendly spar, right?" Ichigo said, looking up at her with a sudden smirk. "Don't worry, I won't swing too hard, if that's what you're worried about. These are bokkens, so they won't do much damage if one of us gets a good hit."

Claire tested the sword with a few swings while Uryuu and Chad backed away from where they would be fighting, smiling to herself. While not as heavy as what she was used to, the bokkens were relatively similar to many of the blades that she had held before. She couldn't deny that she was a little excited for this. After so many years of living by the sword, she felt a little odd not having used one in so long.

"That's good to know. Can't have the doctor getting hurt, right?" she teased. Chuckles from all three men met her comment, and she continued, "Though if you get into trouble, you can always try your running-me-over trick."

Sighing, Ichigo muttered, "I'm never going to live that one down, am I? It's not like I—" He was cut off as a piece of wood whistled in front of him. He was prepared for the second swing as a loud _'clack'_ rang out.

"Oh, were we going to talk all day, or did you want to actually spar?", Claire asked innocently. Putting pressure against his sword, she added, "If you really think you can beat me, I might just let your run-over stunt go."

"Not a chance, Ichigo," Uryuu's voice called out. "Regardless of how bad she beats you, you're not living that one down."

"Shut up—ow!" Stepping back, Ichigo rubbed his thigh where Claire had scored a hit that stung. Seeing her crouched, ready to attack, Ichigo couldn't stop the smile that broke out at her challenging grin.

"Cheap shots like Uryuu, huh? Heh, let's go then."

 _Clackclackclackclack_

Strikes rang out from both fighters. Claire swung for his shoulder, as Ichigo jabbed for her midsection. Ichigo swung wide to break her guard, while Claire pulled back to avoid his counter. High, low, right, left the blows came, each seeming to test the other for weaknesses. Neither gave any ground, yet neither could seem to gain an advantage in their initial clash.

After a few more hits were traded, the two separated.

"Not bad, Claire, but weren't you going to be teaching me something?" Ichigo said, a cocky grin on his face.

 **XXXXXX**

Ichigo waited, excited, as he stood across from Claire. While she wasn't on the level of many of the people he had fought, she had a strong knowledge of sword fighting. She must have been a former fighter, maybe an martial arts competitor wherever she came from? There was a hesitance, a slight misstep that made him dismiss the idea of military or any type of necessitated fighting.

Still, how cool was it that the woman he'd met knew how to fight with swords?

It seemed that his taunt had finally worked. The widened, stunned eyes and almost hungry grin that followed meant that he hit his mark.

 _Good. She's pretty good, and this is beginning to get fun. Maybe she'll break out a fancy maneuver or something._

It was strange. Normally, when he met someone, they were either a patient or an otherworldly being that held a grudge against him and humans. This woman was just a nice person who was surprisingly tolerant of his poor manners and seemingly full of cool surprises.

 _Finally, someone who is normal and—oh damn!_

His musings were cut short as the smile on Claire's face faded. Her body tensed, and her stance shifted. Thoughts of normality were lost as she seemed to subtly transform, her expression one he had seen many times before.

She launched at him without warning. Quick as lightning, she unleashed a barrage of attacks—side to side, up and down, at angles, it didn't matter. It seemed that the moment he saw her sword swing from the left at his shoulder, she had turned and was swinging at his knee.

 _Clack! Clackclackclackclack_

Her form was mesmerizing. There were no wasted movements, and one strike was a fluid transition to another. Blocks were quickly countered as she transitioned from defense to attack and back in so little time that even Ichigo had trouble keeping up.

There was no way she hadn't experienced battle before. Her expression was fierce, and her body moved with lethality and precision.

 _Wow, she is… incredible. I've faced shinigami that were easier to fight than her. And damn, she looks, um… yeah. Damn it, get your head in the spar!_

After swinging a hard cross at her left arm, he leapt back, trying to give himself space to regain his stance and his attention. However, Claire quickly and roughly blocked the strike, knocking his arm wide. Not giving him a chance to recover, she ran at him.

 _Clackclackclack—thump._

"Shit!" Ichigo shouted as he fell to the floor, his ribs, back and knee stinging from the rapid hits that she scored, as well as from the impact of hitting the ground. Looking up, he saw that the point of Claire's bokken was pressed against his neck.

"Lesson one, be careful of who you taunt. You never know whether or not they can put you on your ass," she said, a smirk playing on her lips.

Laughter rang through the room as both Chad and Uryuu had front row seats to Ichigo getting his rear handed to him. Moving the sword, Claire reached down and offered her hand to her victim.

Before he could take the offer, Chad came over and held his own out to Claire.

"That was quite impressive, Claire. I enjoyed seeing your skill. I have to run, however—sound checks to do for a show tonight. It was nice to meet you. Maybe we will see you again."

With one final shake, Chad left, giving Ichigo a thumbs-up before making his way out. Turning back to Ichigo, Claire extended her hand again.

"He's nice."

Letting her help him up, Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, Chad's a good guy," he said automatically, taking a long and thoughtful breath. "Damn, looks like you got me. How the hell are you so intense? I mean, those were some hardcore fighting moves that you just pulled."

A brief look of discomfort passed over her face, yet it was gone before he could even fully notice it was there. "I told you that I could teach you a thing or two. It's all right, I've taken down a lot bigger…guys…than you. Still, you have good form and respectable strength, they just seem a little disconnected. I just can't put my finger on why, though."

Ichigo stood in shock as Claire looked at him, deep in thought. She was struggling to analyze him? Sure, she couldn't know about how he _really_ fought, but still, his style shouldn't be that different in the human realm. Something about what she said made him wonder just how much she had actually seen. Her gaze was sharp, and her attention to her own style seemed meticulous, so why couldn't she have read into his fighting style?

" **It's not like your style is hard to read. Swing, hit something. Swing, hit something. Not exactly Byakuya, are you?"** Zangetsu's voice murmured in his mind, annoyance bleeding through. The spirit had become fond of randomly interrupting his thoughts after the last war, and—as always—it made for some rather uncomfortable and exasperating moments.

 _Shut up!_ Ichigo thought, incensed at the interruption for such a stupid comparison. Though he had matured, and was even on friendly terms with Byakuya, comparisons with the man were always something that made him bristle. It's not like he was a bad guy, but his formality and sense of decorum made Ichigo cringe.

"Have you ever used two swords at once?" Claire asked, breaking through his inner conversation.

His eyes snapping to hers, Ichigo looked dumfounded. She had seen enough to deduce that he used two blades, just from that?

 _No way. I call bullshit._

"What makes you ask that?", he wondered aloud, trying to figure out just what gave it away. There was just no way that she could possibly—

"You hold your bokken two-handed like you're holding a broadsword, sometimes, but at other times it's like you're holding a saber or something smaller. The way your free hand moved a few times made me wonder if you've ever dual wielded swords."

" **Well hot damn, King. Looks like you found a pretty observant one. Hopefully she'll miss just how pathetic and lonely you are, Mr. Workaholic."**

Ichigo tried his best to ignore the spirit of his zanpakuto as he stared in astonishment. If he didn't know any better, he would swear that Zangetsu crafted these kinds of remarks in preparation for the perfect moments to zing him. He supposed that now, with no impending doom as there so often was, the spirit had to find something to do.

"Is there something wrong?" Claire asked, one brow raised in suspicion.

Shaking his head, Ichigo replied, "No, no, just surprised, that's all. That's amazing, because I _have_ used dual blades before, and generally prefer to. How in the world could you have picked up all of that in just one spar?"

"I thought so," she replied, walking over to the wall where the rest of the bokkens were placed. Grabbing a tanto-sized one, she tossed it to Ichigo. "Try that, and let's see what you've got. We can do 'Q and A' later. No holding back this time, or I'll have to make the sting from my hits last a little longer."

Smiling at the threat, Ichigo caught the smaller blade. He shifted it to his left hand and felt himself balance out. At least, in his mind. Ever since he had gained his second Zangetsu, his preference had switched to dual wielding, but he only fought that way when away from the eyes of the spiritually unaware.

Rushing forward, Ichigo began his attack. Two blades swung at once, the first with another coming seconds behind. One from the top, the other in a jab. On and on, Ichigo went through combination after combination against his opponent's staunch defense. However, it was only twice that he heard the telltale hiss of him finding his mark.

Claire, on the other hand, was unbelievable. Every strike was met with a glancing block or a clever dodge that left him hitting air and rushing to defend against her counters. It was as if she was dancing around him, as most of his strikes seemed to only just miss her.

Ichigo was stunned. Granted, he was suppressing his reiatsu as much as he possibly could, but Claire was giving him a strong run for his money. Her breathing was becoming slightly labored, but they had been at it for quite a while.

However, he had been planning his moves, setting her up to pin her with a strike and jab from both sides that would trap her.

Finally, she seemed to falter for a single opportune moment, stepping backwards. Ichigo dropped into a full lunge and pushed his arms forward, pointing the smaller blade at her abdomen and swinging the larger at her shoulder.

His jaw dropped in awe as she suddenly ran towards him, stepping onto his bent knee and pushing off into an acrobatic flip over his head. Before he could turn, he felt a series of sharp smacks on his ribs and hip before a bokken pressed against his neck.

For a moment, the only sound was their heavy breathing. The relative silence was shattered by a loud exclamation.

"Holy shit! Did I just see Ichigo Kurosaki get his ass handed to him in a sword fight?!"

Turning, both he and Claire saw an attractive woman standing in the doorway wearing one of the gym employees' red shirts and black athletic pants. She had short, spiky black hair and a wide grin.

"Yeah yeah, hello to you too, Tatsuki," Ichigo muttered. Getting to his feet, he turned to Claire and blew out a loud sigh. "She's right though, my ass was thoroughly delivered to me. Claire, this is Tatsuki Arisawa, the owner of this place and one of my oldest pains in the—oof!"

Claire was stunned as she watched Ichigo bend double over the fist of the newly arrived woman. The woman now looking at her.

"Sorry, Ichigo, I didn't catch that," Tatsuki carried on without sparing a glance at the winded man. She cupped a hand around the ear nearest him. "I think you were saying something about how nice it was that your oldest and dearest friend in the whole world was stopping by to say hello. Don't get all pissy just because I came in to see you getting whipped by… Claire, was it?"

Tatsuki smirked at her. "How did a girl like you end up having to work out with this moron?"

"Oh, um… Right," she stammered, trying and failing to sheathe the bokken on impulse. "I'm Claire Farron. I met Ichigo on my first day in Karakura Town, and he made an… impression. As for why I'm working out with him, I heard him from down the hallway, and my curiosity got the better of me. I was just showing him some tricks in swordplay."

"Wait…Claire!" Tatsuki blurted. "That's where I know your name from! You're the one that Ichigo ran over, like the klutz he is! I can see why you looked so intent on beating him. You were pretty impressive— not many can get the best of this one."

"Hold on a second. How the hell do you know about that?!" Ichigo asked, frustrated at how many of his friends seemed to know about the embarrassing story he had only told Uryuu. Cutting a glance at the traitor, he noticed that the dark haired man was conveniently studying his nails.

"Blah blah blah. Who cares how I know?" Tatsuki continued, brushing off Ichigo's indignation. "I know you have no charm whatsoever, so I guess you've resorted to running over women to get them to talk to you— that's what matters. Anyways, are you coming to Chad's show, tonight? I know you aren't really Mr. Social, but I figured I'd ask."

"Of course he is," Uryuu interjected. "He lost, so he's buying."

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo shifted his glare at him, "You know good and well that I'd be going either way. I haven't missed a single show, unlike you. And as far as losing goes, I didn't lose to you, four-eyes. I lost spectacularly, sure, but not to you."

"Ichigo, you could have four ears and still not be able to remember a conversation. I never once said that if you lost to only me, specifically, that you'd pay. We only agreed that the loser would pay. You lost; therefore, you pay."

"Cheap-ass bastard."

"Sore loser."

"You two can bitch and moan all you want, later. I swear, you're like a couple of little kids, sometimes," Tatsuki snapped. Turning back to the only other woman in the room, she asked, "So Claire, how is life in Japan treating you so far? I'm sure that you've been on the hunt for jobs. Any luck?"

Raising her brow in surprise at the incredibly normal way Ichigo's friends treated her, she answered, "Japan has been really interesting. I have to say, I do like Karakura town. The job hunt is still in progress, though. I've had a few interviews, but nothing has panned out so far."

The excited look on Tatsuki's face was slightly confusing, but Claire had no time to think about it, before she said, "Well then, why don't you come with us tonight? We're going to a show at the best bar in town. Our friend Chad plays in a band, and we all like to go and support him. Lucky for us, they're actually really good!"

Unsure of what to say, Claire looked at Ichigo, who rolled his eyes at the source of their trouble.

"Tatsuki, calm down and quit pressuring her," he sighed, turning back to Claire with a hesitant smile. "You're welcome to come with us, Claire. I'm not really the bar or club scene kind of guy, but it's always a good time with the group, and Chad's band is pretty great. Also, as you have heard, I am buying tonight."

The offer did sound intriguing. A night with people who were going out of their way to be friendly couldn't be too bad. And Chad was in a band? The kind, giant man performing on stage was something she definitely needed to see to believe.

Looking up, she saw Tatsuki watching her with shining, expectant eyes.

"I suppose I could come," Claire relented. "I'll just need to go home to shower and change, first."

"Great! Ichigo can drive you to your place, then to the bar, right Ichigo?"

"Uh, sure thing Tats," he answered, looking slightly bewildered. Tatsuki did not often volunteer him for extra duties, and he wasn't sure it was even necessary. Claire was not helpless. While the offer was nice, she could find her own way.

"I can get there on my o—" Claire tried, to no one's notice.

"Great!" Tatsuki carried on with enthusiasm, making a shooing motion at the two men. "Now go get showered, Ichigo. You and Uryuu stink, and I need to talk to Claire about a few things while you nasty boys get cleaned up."

Claire's brow raised at the cutoff, as well as the string of assumptions. While never one to tolerate being ordered around, excepting from her former military chain of command, Claire didn't want to be too rude to the woman. Tatsuki wasn't being terribly rude, herself, just pushy in a way that reminded her of Snow.

A pair of snorts and shaking heads were the only response to the steamroller that was Tatsuki. Gathering up their gear, Ichigo and Uryuu made their way towards the door. However, before he left, Ichigo turned to Claire with a small smile.

"I know she's bossy, but she's not too bad, Claire. And I know that you could make it there on your own, but the bar is a little way's off. I'd be glad to give you a lift there and back, if you want. Your choice."

He waved once at the other woman. "Tatsuki, just text me whatever you guys decide."

Before Claire could fully return the grin, he was gone. Turning back to Tatsuki, she was met with an enthusiastic face to rival all previous ones.

"So, while they clean up, I want to talk to you about something."

 **XXXXXX**

The sun was still in the sky when Ichigo had finished showering. Quickly dressing, he made his way out to the main lobby. Tatsuki had sent him a message saying that Claire would be ready to go when he was, so he sped up to keep her from waiting too long.

That was the sole reason for his hurry, he told himself. He just didn't want to be rude by making her wait. His racing up the stairs to the lobby had absolutely nothing to do with what Tatsuki might actually say to Claire, with no one to keep her in check. Nope, nothing at all.

Rounding a corner, he managed to catch the tail end of their conversation.

"…still can't believe that you beat him like that. I think that this will be a good thing, for him. I used to wear him out when we were kids, before he got all tough and crazy strong. I'm glad he found someone that can bring him back to Earth for a minute."

"Back to Earth?"

"N-nothing, I just mean, you know, that his head's always in the clouds and stuff," Tatsuki stammered. "Anyway, I am glad we got to talk. I think you'll be happy with your decision."

Jogging over to where the two women stood, Ichigo looked to Claire and asked, "Decision? Did you finally decide to cut me some slack?"

Claire and Tatsuki both laughed and turning to face him.

"Eavesdropping, are we? It'll take quite a bit more than losing to me in a sparring match to make me forget my first moments in Karakura Town, Ichigo," Claire said with a raised brow, eliciting another laugh from Tatsuki.

"I can admit, though," Claire continued, "It's not the worst start."

"Damn, Ichigo, you really do know how to make a lasting impression," Tatsuki quipped. "There's nobody you can't piss off, is there? Still, you have to take Claire home to get ready for tonight. So what are you waiting for?! I'll probably beat you there if you don't get going!" Her voice had raised to a shout as she pushed both of them toward the door.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo smirked as he subtly made a rude hand gesture behind Claire's back to Tatsuki. "Come on, Claire. Let's get out of here before she gets even crazier."

A low chuckle was Claire's only response as she walked out of the open door with him.

As Tatsuki watched the two get into Ichigo's car, she couldn't help the satisfied smile that crossed her face. He had met someone through his sheer idiocy that might be able to break through that thick skull of his and get him to actually live his own life.

 _Claire, huh? Not a bad addition to our little group, Ichigo. Not bad at all._

 **XXXXXX**

 _Just how long does it take for her to get ready?_ Ichigo thought in mild irritation as he sat in his car. He'd put up the roof of his car at nightfall, yet his music still rang out loudly. Taking his hands off of the steering wheel, he gave up muttering the lyrics to the song, but nodded his head to the beat.

He had been surprised to see how closely that Claire lived to the gym. Well, he had been surprised half an hour ago.

Sighing, he knew that he wasn't exactly being fair. Patience had never been his strong suit, and in reality, she honestly hadn't taken that long. Having to shower and get ready for a night out with people she had only just met could easily take longer than a few minutes. Given her behavior on the ride to her apartment, he knew that she was probably nervous.

Ichigo laughed aloud at the thought. Though likely accurate, it was funny to think of Claire being nervous about meeting more of his friends when she had been more than comfortable beating him mercilessly in front of them.

He couldn't be mad about it. He had tried, and it just wouldn't work. She hadn't boasted or bragged— she'd simply been honest about the fact that she could teach him a few things, and when he had taken her up on the offer…

She took him down.

It was somewhat refreshing. All of his friends usually took great joy in trying to win against him, yet none really could. Uryuu and Chad came the closest, along with Renji and Rukia, when they were in town. Still, when it came to a serious fight, he was in a league of his own.

Now a human with no spiritual awareness at all had showed up to give him a rough wake-up call.

Claire was something else. He was still in awe of her transformation, from friendly spar partner, to seasoned fighter in the blink of an eye. After seeing her true skill level, Ichigo could much more easily guess the reasons for her discomfort when he initially asked about her abilities. People who had experienced actual combat, with the exception of idiots like Kenpachi, were not usually eager to talk about it.

Hopefully, that didn't mean that she would be opposed to further sparring. Her incredible insight, and undeniable skill made for a great fight. Besides that, Ichigo couldn't deny that Claire was just cool.

 _Cool? Damn, I'm so glad that I'm saying these stupid things in my head. My comments are becoming as dumb as Uryuu's. Still, she is…cool. Damn it! Get a thesaurus or something!_

Regardless of whatever term that he used, Claire was easy to be around. Fearless, snarky, and down-to-earth, she had been fun to work out with.

Speaking of 'down-to-earth,' Ichigo was going to have to have words with Tatsuki. Putting aside her bull rush of conversation, he couldn't imagine what she'd been thinking. She hadcome way too close to talking about carefully guarded information. He could only imagine Claire's face if he were to say something about shinigami or spiritual power.

She seemed to be a pretty good person, and he didn't need Tatsuki scaring her away with things that would make Claire think that they were all insane.

They had more than enough ability on their own to make her think that.

" **You're trying awfully hard to make sure this woman likes you. Aww, has the King found himself a queen? That's just precious."**

 _Oh shut up,_ he thought back, groaning in exasperation. _There is nothing wrong with wanting her to see our group as something other than idiots. Even you have to admit that she's not too bad._

" **Not too bad? Even with all of the growing up you've done, you're still like a kid going through puberty. Girls aren't 'gross' anymore, King. It's okay to admit that you like this woman. There are far worse one's out there that her. She's a lot easier to be around than that Orihime, and the fact that she can kick your ass like that puts her in my good graces."**

Ichigo couldn't respond immediately. He knew that he loved Orihime like another sister, but Zangetsu did have a point. Stories about aliens, which still hadn't stopped, and talk about so many girly things was beyond exhausting. Ichigo didn't care about clothes shopping. He didn't care about getting his hair done, and beyond laughing hysterically, he didn't care about joining her and Uryuu for dancing lessons.

 _At least Claire can fight. Still, I can't leave it finished on that note. I have to get a win. Watching her was intense. She was—_ His thoughts cut off as he saw her walking out of the front door of her apartment building.

 **Damn.**

 _Damn, indeed._

Her rose-colored hair hung just as it was when he'd first met her. He looked further to see her wearing a sleeveless button-up shirt with a high collar _,_ and a skirt.

 _It's almost unfair. She's a good fighter, enough that she can teach technique, and she cleans up like that?_

It annoyed him to dwell on it, but Ichigo couldn't deny an attraction to Claire. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he got out of the car. If nothing else, it would be a chance to get to know her better tonight. She needed friends before anything else, and to be honest, he did too.

Considering her mealy-arrived status and clearly eventful past, Claire needed to be around people who were just there for her. Luckily, Ichigo could see her easily fitting in with the rest of the group, if what he had seen so far was an indication of what she was always like.

Moving over to the passenger door, Ichigo pulled it open.

"Chivalry?" Claire asked, side-eyeing him. "I can open a door just fine on my own, you know. Given the way this day has gone for you, shouldn't I be opening your door?"

While he would normally argue with anyone who jabbed at him, Ichigo couldn't stop the bark of laughter that escaped.

 _This woman's worse than Rukia!_

"No no, the winner shouldn't have to open her own door. Please allow me," he said with a bow.

"Ah, well when you put it that way, I suppose it makes sense."

Shutting the door behind her, Ichigo couldn't hold back a grin. Damn, this woman had his number and wasn't afraid to let him know it.

Yes, she would fit in nicely with the group.

 **XXXXXX**

Claire winced slightly at the volume of the music playing in the bar. Walking in behind Ichigo, she felt incredibly out of place. The establishment was fairly large, with a wide floor and tall tables spread through out, and it was packed. People were standing and talking loudly all around, and she received more than a few glances and winks when they squeezed by.

Rolling her eyes, she redirected them forward to catch Ichigo's head turning away from her. Claire smirked slightly, shaking her head in amusement. She'd caught Ichigo stealing glances at her more than a few times.

It was rather cute. She was certain that he had very little romantic experience, going by the 'stealth' that he employed when looking at her. The looks had been bothersome, at first. It was her gut reaction to assume that they were like all the others she had noticed— leering glances and single-minded smiles.

Yet, her perspective had changed when she noticed that his smiles were the same as when she goaded with him about their fight. There was a sense of humor, a begrudging contentment whenever the topic was brought up, but the smiles were always warm. Small and brief, but warm.

Luckily, the ride over hadn't felt too awkward. The silence had been comfortable, as it hadn't really been silence at all. The moment that his radio came on, familiar riffs and loud vocals made her look to him in interest. She had been listening to the same song when working out.

Claire sighed in relief as she followed Ichigo through the crowd. It was looking more and more like she had found a kindred spirit in him, and she was thankful that there was at least one person here around whom she didn't have to pretend to be more like Serah. Of course, as she thought about it, all of his friends were likely similar.

It made the impromptu social outing so much easier. Still something that kept her a bit on edge, but it was easier nonetheless. Here she was, meeting an unknown number of people, all of whom were somehow attached to the first person she had met in her new life, her first—dare she say it—friend. That would be stressful enough, even without the crowded public setting.

Shaking her head, she focused on the goal of survival. No matter how potentially unpleasant it might turn out to be, she would survive. She continued with the mental pep talk until she noticed that Ichigo had stopped.

Looking up, she saw that he was watching her expectantly. "What?"

She frowned at his knowing smirk and nod.

"It's a lot to deal with, I know. I asked if you wanted to grab a drink at the bar before we meet everyone at the table."

"No, it's fine. I'm perfectly capable of human interaction while sober," she snapped, trying and failing to squelch her bubbling aggravation. "You don't have to walk me through every little thing, Ichigo."

She instantly felt guilty as his face fell, a confused expression in place of the intermittent smiles she had been catching.

"Okay, sorry," he said, his face still confused, and she thought a little hurt.

 _Damn it Farron, fix this! He's been nicer than any guy you've ever met before, and hasn't asked a thing in return! He wasn't trying to boss you around or anything, he's just trying to be a friend. Get over yourself and pay attention. He's no more comfortable here than you are!_

Of course he was uncomfortable. She had seen his body tense the moment they had walked through the door. He had been commiserating, and she had snapped at him.

Pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand, she reached out and grabbed his arm with the other. When he turned, she stepped closer, motioning for him to bend down to her level.

Speaking right next to his ear, she said, "Look…I… Sorry about that. Crowds make me a little tense, and I'm going to be meeting a bunch of new people. You're right— it's a bit to deal with. I'm fine, but I didn't mean to snap at you."

Almost before she had finished speaking, she noticed him shaking his head and holding his hand up.

"Don't sweat it," he said over the din of the crowd. "I'm glad that you decided to come out tonight. Don't worry about meeting everyone. They're going to like you, I'm sure. You won over Chad, Uryuu and Tatsuki pretty easily, so the rest will be a breeze."

Standing tall, Ichigo took a deep breath in and let it out in a whoosh. "I don't know about you, but I think I could use a drink."

With no real reason to protest, Claire followed him to the bar. She was pretty sure that 'a drink' would be nowhere near enough to make it easy. A few minutes later, they made it to the table where Ichigo had said everyone would be gathered.

It seemed that _everyone_ was.

Uryuu sat next to a pretty, orange haired woman, carrying on an involved conversation. Next to her was Tatsuki, who was talking animatedly to Chad, sitting across from her. Several other people filled in the seats around them, but she didn't know any of the new faces. A sandy haired girl sat next to another whose hair was pitch black. Across from them was a pair of guys with the same respective hair colors.

"Ichigo!" a chorus of voices shouted as they approached the table. Loud chinks of glass met their arrival as several present raised their drinks to each other, and Ichigo deftly pulled Claire out of the way as someone's drink sloshed out of their glass and onto the floor.

Shaking his head, the apparent star of the show simply raised his beer to them in a sort of salute. The sandy haired man looked excited as he tried to get up from his chair, but Ichigo's arm instantly shot out and held him in his seat. She didn't hear what he said, but the man looked crestfallen at being held down.

"Hey everyone, look! Ichigo's near Claire and still on his feet!" Tatsuki shouted out, holding her glass high and smiling widely. She hadn't been lying about beating them to the bar, as it looked like she had been here long enough to have a few drinks already.

" _That's_ Claire?! She's so pretty!" the orange haired woman next to Uryuu exclaimed. "Ichigo, how could you run over such a pretty woman? She just got to this country, and you knock her to the ground! She's going to think that all Japanese people are rude. I keep telling you to be nicer to girls and you'd have a girlfriend by now, but you—"

"Are you kidding me, Uryuu?!" Ichigo cut in sharply. "You told Orihime, too? You're more of a gossip than Yuzu! I told you it was a freaking accident!"

"Hey!" the sandy haired girl shouted, standing up so quickly that her chair clattered loudly to the floor. "I am not a gossip, Ichigo, and how could you run over someone?! Orihime's right— you should be nicer to girls, or you'll never find someone to want to be with you! How could you be so mean?"

"Damn, Ichigo," the dark haired girl next to Yuzu chuckled. "You haven't even been here a full five minutes and everybody is on you. It's okay, though, I am so used to you having your head up your ass that it's no surprise that you ran her over."

When Claire turned to look at Ichigo, he had his head leaned back and his bottle glued to his lips. She couldn't help the smile that tugged on her own.

Patting him on the back, she turned to the group, "It wasn't that bad. He did give me at least five seconds to enjoy my first day of Karakura Town before he trampled me."

Hearing a loud _glug_ before a choking noise, she looked to see that his bottle was suddenly down, and Ichigo began coughing loudly. Claire's brow rose as Yuzu ran over and began fussing over him.

"Why did you drink it so fast, Ichi-nii? You know that you should be more careful, and it's embarrassing that you're doing it in front of—"

Her voice faded into the loud conversations and background noises of the bar, but Claire wasn't really sure of what to think of the woman touching Ichigo so much and being so caring over him. Her attention was drawn though, as she felt an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to someone.

Her pulse shot up, and her body tensed. This was not okay. Too many people, and now someone was touching her? Seeing that it was Tatsuki, she was about to try to escape the hold when the woman said, "But that's not even the best part! Guess who I saw whip Ichigo in a sword fight today at my gym?!"

"Oh, come _on_ ," Ichigo rasped from the side as everyone stopped speaking and stared in shock. Claire knew what was coming, and she tensed.

 _Oh shit_

Ignoring him completely, Tatsuki stepped back from Claire and held her arms out at her, as if making a grand presentation.

"My new sword fighting and combat instructor, Claire Farron!" she shouted.

Claire didn't quite know whether to be flattered or insulted by the open mouthed stares that she was receiving. However, after a few awkward moments of being watched, the sandy haired man slammed his glass onto the table as he stood up and rushed over to her. Dropping to one knee, he spread his arms wide as he began to nearly cry as he spoke.

"You beat Ichigo?! I'm in love! Claire, oh sweet Claire, marry me! I'll be so much better to you than a ruffian like Ichigo! He has no idea how to treat a lady, but I—Keigo Asano— am a lover of legend! You have to say yes, or I'll—Ow!" Keigo cried as a hand roughly smacked his head, sending him all the way to the floor.

"Shut up! You're not scaring this one away. I like her!" Tatsuki snapped.

"Anyway, let's move along," she continued, stepping back to join Claire and pointing around the table. Though slightly slurred, she introduced everyone.

"You already met Uryuu. He's a doctor that works at the hospital with Ichigo. Next to him is his girlfriend, Orihime; she owns a bakery downtown. The jackass on the ground is Keigo. He's annoying, but harmless. The guy who was sitting next to him is Mizuiro. Nice guy, likes older ladies. You met Chad, too. Next to him is Karin Kurosaki, one of Ichigo's little sisters. The one who's doing the whole creepy mother hen thing is Yuzu, his other little sister."

"It is not creepy! Don't be mean just because I choose to be nice to people, rather than beat them into submission!" the offended girl cried. Claire hid her smile, her relief at the clarity unexpected, and instantly disregarded.

"Yeah yeah, I'm just glad that incest is illegal," Tatsuki muttered, which caused laughter at the outraged look on Yuzu's face, not to mention Ichigo's. Karin was laughing so hard that she was pounding her fist on the table, rattling the glasses.

"What the hell, Tats?" Ichigo asked, his expression still intact.

"Yeah!" Yuzu joined in, bringing her drink to her lips. "Even if we weren't related, what makes you think that someone as ill-mannered as Ichigo would ever have a chance with me?"

Any anger, tension, or ill feelings dissipated with the eruption of laughter at her comment.

"Come on, Claire, have a seat. Just be yourself, because I think everybody already likes you," Tatsuki said as she moved back to her seat.

Sitting down, Claire turned to see that Ichigo was talking to a server that had come to their table.

"Everybody want more of the same thing you've got?" After they all nodded their assent, Ichigo ordered another round for the table. The previous scene must have been a regular occurrence, Claire guessed, as he had all but let it go.

"I need another drink to put up with these people," he muttered as he sat down next to her.

 _Hmm, maybe not completely let go._

Within moments, a round of drinks arrived at the table along with several plates of food. Dubbed 'community grub' by Keigo, the group began grabbing food and continuing their conversations.

Claire noticed herself calming as the minutes passed. She found it easy to ignore the dull roar of the crowd around them, particularly because their table was possibly the loudest, yet she couldn't complain.

She also found constant entertainment in the way the group interacted with each other. Whether it was Tatsuki shoving Keigo whenever the overly-friendly man would share embarrassing stories from their high school days, or Orihime's dramatic stories that were closer to reenactments; Uryuu's progressively less-subtle hand gestures to Ichigo when Ichigo would laugh at the dark haired man's roles in those stories, or Yuzu's obvious embarrassment when conversations became less innocent, it all reminded her of her former family.

Karin and Chad had quickly become her favorites at the table. While all had their own charm, those two kept her laughing at their constant antagonizing of Ichigo. The younger woman seemed to know each and every button to push with her older brother, and Chad's stoic delivery kept the entire table bursting with laughter.

"I know that they're all crazy, but hopefully you're having a good time," he said as he turned to her several minutes later.

Hearing the implied concern, Claire allowed a small, sincere grin.

"I am. I'm glad I came, too. They really love giving you a hard time, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it," he admitted. "Still, they all seem to like you. Keigo a little too much, but that's just him."

"Yeah, that's the first marriage proposal I've ever gotten. Quite an event, I have to say."

They both laughed. It had been one hell of an entrance, yet neither could say that they were having a bad time.

Within moments, more drinks arrived as everyone else was involved in conversation about some event going on the next evening. Chad had slipped away to get ready for his performance, but the group were occupied as the topic of Ichigo's recent defeat resurfaced.

Eventually, Claire had tried to turn down the next drink Tatsuki shoved her way.

The woman had been, as always, a freight train. 'No' didn't seem to be a part of her vocabulary, and she gave a very Fang-esque vibe. The way she talked, punched Ichigo and Keigo, and put more drinks into Claire's hand every time it was empty made it hard to say no to such familiarity. Perhaps it had been the fact that she reminded her so much of her recently separated family, but Claire was easily caught up in the group's charisma, her discomfort melting away in the aura of their kindness.

As she sipped on her drink, a mostly suppressed idea in the back of her mind began to make more sense. She didn't really like to admit it, but her time before Earth had changed her irrevocably. Claire— or Lightning, more so— had experienced life with family, and she had learned the value of company, of friendship. Seeing the way that she was being easily included in so many conversations was disarming.

After a time, and several more rounds of drinks, Chad finally came out on stage. The entire table began cheering loudly, with Tatsuki and Keigo standing and whistling. Everyone was clapping, and Ichigo even shouted in support of his friend.

The band was amazing. After her…not sure which number drink, Claire was certain that Chad's band was her favorite of all time, and even cheered a little alongside the group. With the loud guitars wailing and impassioned vocals humming in the speakers, she was happy.

It felt like a lifetime ago, she giggled to herself at the sad truth of the statement, since Claire had spent so much time with friends. Shaking her head as she tried to steady herself in her seat, she knew that it had been longer than that since she'd had so much to drink. She couldn't even remember a time when she had gotten seriously drunk, either, even when she was in the Guardian Corps.

Aside from the knowledge of Chad's band's supremacy, the only fact that she could focus on was that alcohol on Cocoon didn't hold a candle to the potency of what she would later remember Tatsuki calling 'tequila shots'.

 _Potent's one way of putting it,_ she thought as she leaned back in her chair.

Taking a breath, she tried to steady herself as the environment in front of her didn't seem to want to stay still. Still, she was still having fun. As the night went on, the groups' jokes only became funnier, and the food that kept coming to the table tasted better and better.

It may have been a few hours, it may have been more, but eventually the group started to wind down. Orihime had fallen asleep on Uryuu's shoulder, and even Tatsuki had begun to slow down. Surprisingly, it had been Ichigo's little sister Karin who'd taken the most shots, but even she was now resting against Yuzu's disapproving shoulder.

Turning, she saw Ichigo on his phone. "—five minutes? Sounds great. I'll have addresses for you when you get here."

He ended the call, slipping the phone into his pocket before picking up his glass of water. Ichigo had stopped drinking a couple of hours ago, saying that whoever buys is the designated driver or taxi coordinator.

"How are you feeling, Claire?" he asked, looking over at her with a grin.

"You know," she slurred, "that techy stuff is pretty strong."

"Techy stuff?" he asked, looking confused. Suddenly, realization dawned as he chuckled and said, "Oh, tequila? Yeah, that shit will take anybody down."

Claire frowned. "Tuh-kee-lah. Tuhkeelahhh. Whatever it is, damn…"

"I'd say it's about time to get you home, huh? I've got rides coming for everybody that should be here any minute now. Let me make sure they're all going where they need to go, then we'll head out, okay?"

"Yup", Claire replied, popping the 'p' loudly. She rested her heavy head on her arms, waiting for him to come back in before she got up.

The next thing that Claire knew, her head was resting against something soft. Cracking her eyes open, she briefly saw the back of a messy head of orange hair as it walked out of her room, before her eyes closed once more.

 **XXXXXX**

Mornings. Hateful, bright, and far too early.

 _Whoever invented mornings should be shot,_ Claire thought as her eyes opened to the blinding sunlight streaming in her window.

This is why she never got drunk. How many times, when she had been in the Corps, had she been forced to put up with hung-over soldiers? Their whining, their complaining, their headaches and nausea—she understood.

Had she really drunk so much last night? She remembered cutting up with the group, laughing and having fun, and Tatsuki saying something about shots. She also remembered Ichigo…

 _Ichigo!_

Looking around, she quickly realized that she was at her apartment, still in her clothes from last night. He had apparently brought her home and put her in her bed. As she was still clothed, she supposed that it was all right, but what must he have thought? He seemed perfectly fine when they were talking last night—before her memory hit a blank.

Peering over the edge of the bed, she saw a trash can with vomit in it.

 _Oh no._

Had she vomited on him? Or in his car? She didn't remember the make, but she remembered that his car was very expensive looking. Reeling as she reached over too quickly, she tied the bag in the can to seal away her sickness.

 _Damn, Farron, way to go. He takes you to meet his friends and you get drunk and puke all over who-knows-what. Who needs enemies with friends like you, eh?_

Clairefell back to her pillow, throwing an arm over her face. It was funny— she had jumped thousands of feet out of a falling aircraft, done acrobatic fighting maneuvers in a meteor shower, and had fought a god in the emptiness of space. Yet, cheap alcohol had trampled her like a stampede of Pulsian beasts.

 _How weird. Some tough 'Solider Girl' I am. Sazh would be laughing until he cried_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of rattling keys and an opening door. Body tensing, she reached under her pillow and grabbed a knife that she kept. Old habits die hard, she had told herself.

Hearing paper rustling as well, she turned to the door, only to see Ichigo appear and softly knock before noticing she was awake.

"Morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?" he asked with a knowing grin.

 _Asshole._

"I can say that I've had my better days," she grumbled as she fought the urge to smother herself with her pillow. Not only did she have to wake up feeling like a train wreck, but it seemed that Ichigo got a front row seat to her hangover.

"How did you get into my apartment?"

Holding up a set of keys, Ichigo set them on her dresser and answered, "You don't have a way to lock it from the inside and still be able to leave, so I locked up and held onto them when I left last night. Bringing your keys back is part of the reason I'm here."

"Oh", she said, startled somewhat at his consideration.

Sliding her knife back to its home, she raked a hand through her destroyed hair. She wasn't really comfortable with him being here when she most likely looked like death and had a trashcan with vomit in it out in the open, but damn it all if he didn't just keep finding ways to be nice.

"And the other part was… ?" she asked.

"I just wanted to check up on you. I know Tatsuki and Karin are pretty fond of those tequila shots, but I wasn't sure how you'd hold up. Plus," he continued, holding up the bag in his hand, "I brought you some breakfast. Something to help the hangover."

 _Well shit. Here he goes being all helpful, yet again, and all I can do in return is hold myself together and pray that I didn't throw up in his car._

"Uh, thanks," she muttered lamely. Not used to being in such a vulnerable state, Claire was uncertain of what she should say. Her brow raised as Ichigo produced a couple of pills.

"No problem." Ichigo pulled a somewhat greasy-looking item from the paper sack and placed it in her hands, smiling as he said, "Here, eat up. I know you probably don't feel like eating at the moment, but trust me, this will help. Orihime's bakery makes them and they're great for hangovers."

As she adjusted herself to the smell of the food that suddenly assaulted her, Ichigo handed her a pair of pills. "Also, take these. They'll help with the headache."

Whatever the hell that food was called, it was amazing. Claire wolfed down some kind of sandwich that was full of eggs and chased it with a large bottle of water. While not the perfect cure, it definitely took off the edge.

"So," Ichigo began, "did you have a good time last night? I can promise that everyone likes you. I woke up to a ton of texts telling me that I better not piss you off, and to make sure you hang out with the gang again."

Wincing at the pain her chuckle caused her head, Claire smirked. "I enjoyed myself. You know some really interesting people, that's for sure."

"Oh yeah. Rockers, bakers, 'Legendary Lovers'," he said, smiling at the memory from last night.

"That's right! I was proposed to, wasn't I?"

She was surprised to see Ichigo look slightly ashamed. "Uh, yeah, sorry about him. Keigo is really socially awkward. He's harmless, pretty much like a puppy."

"You're apologizing? I feel like I should be. I've never really been that drunk before. Can't say that I've ever experienced tequila, either. I didn't…um…Your car, is it fine?" she asked, looking down at the trashcan.

Understanding lit Ichigo's eyes. "Yeah, it's fine! You weren't sick until you got here. Don't apologize. I am glad you came," he said in a rush. "To be honest, I didn't know if I'd run into you again— no pun intended."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, you seemed pretty cool, so I was lucky that we did cross paths again. It was fun yesterday. And Tats told us that you are working at the gym now, so I'll be seeing more of you."

Both of Claire's eyebrows shot up. This was unexpected. Even after her behavior, he still wanted to see her and hang out? Weird. She was glad for it, but it was still weird.

"Actually, speaking of seeing more of you…" he began, rubbing the back of his neck.

Claire held her breath, alarmed. _Did he see something, as in 'see' something? What did I actually do last night?_

Ichigo cleared his throat. "Yuzu wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight, at her apartment. She's having most of the gang over, and she's an amazing cook."

Relief flooded Claire as her worries came to nothing. Still, an invitation to have dinner at his sister's apartment? The group must have really liked her if she'd gotten away with being drunk and still been asked to join them a second time.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"Um, you do realize that I'm the one inviting you, right? Your coming would, by definition, be the opposite of imposing."

Claire glared at him for a moment before conceding. "Fine, smartass. I'll go, because I enjoyed meeting everyone last night."

Releasing a deep breath through his mouth, Ichigo looked relieved at her answer. At her suspiciously narrowed gaze, he clarified, "I was told that I would get you to the dinner tonight, or I'd have hell to pay. Yuzu may not look dangerous, but she can make you pay if you piss her off."

Shaking her head, Claire gave a small chuckle. Who knew that the fighting doctor Ichigo Kurosaki was a big softy when it came to his siblings? She couldn't say anything against it, as she had never been one to tell Serah no.

The more she talked with Ichigo, the more he proved to be like her.

Claire shook herself from the musings and back to reality. She needed to shower, brush her teeth, and make herself even remotely presentable before seeing other people.

"I see. That's good information to have, I suppose," she finally replied. Glancing at the trashcan on the floor, she did what she could to smooth her shirt and skirt. She had no idea how, but things had turned out quite differently than she had expected.

"Thank you, by the way, for getting me here safely last night. I wasn't really expecting to get anywhere near that bad, so it's nice to wake up in my own bed. However, I need to get up and have some time to—uh—recover, I suppose."

Frowning at the laughter that met her words, her scowl softened somewhat as Ichigo started to head for the door. He stopped, suddenly, and turned to hold out another of his business cards.

"My cell number is on here. Just send me a message or give me a call whenever you'd like me to come get you," he said, automatically raising his hands when she visibly tensed.

"Before you say it, yes, I know you can get yourself around town. You're cool to hang out with, and even like my kind of music, so I never mind offering a ride. Dinner isn't until seven, but I'm probably going to be out driving some today, because the weather is gorgeous. If you get bored and want to see some more of the town, just let me know."

Claire was slightly stunned at the invitation. He hadn't asked her on a date or anything, just to hang out on a pretty day. It actually did seem like something that would be fun to do, but she wasn't sure that her head wouldn't explode if exposed to direct sunlight, given the way she currently felt.

"I-I might take you up on that," she stammered. "I have to wait and see how I feel once I get a shower and drink a ton of water, but I may just give you a call later on. And I am glad that you realize I can do things for myself. I'd hate to have to teach you more than sword fighting."

Any remaining tension vanished once she heard Ichigo laughing. Maybe she could actually do this 'humor' thing. It had never been her strong suit, but it seemed to be working with Ichigo and his friends, so far.

"Sure thing, Claire. I still have to find a way to get a win. Though, if you're working at Tats' place now, I'm sure I'll get a chance," he said, turning to leave again. "Well, I'll see you later. Just give me a call if you want to see some more of the town before dinner."

With that, Ichigo waved and strolled out, shutting the door behind him.

Claire smiled slightly to herself as she made her way to the bathroom. Maybe things weren't as bad as she had thought. She had gone from bored out of her mind to having several friends and a job within twenty-four hours.

Looking in the mirror, though, Claire cringed at the sight of her hair sticking up in every direction and the bags under her eyes. It was a rude awakening to her own less-than-satisfactory state.

 _Still, he asked you to hang out before dinner with his friends and he was looking straight at you._

As she started the shower, she felt more and more certain that she would probably take Ichigo up on his offer. The sense of normalcy that he and his friends gave her provided her with the first real sparks of excitement that she had felt for her new life.

She could definitely get used to this.


	3. Chapter 3

Crossing her arms for what felt like the tenth time, Claire tapped her foot impatiently, the sharp echoes bouncing across the gym lobby.

It had taken a couple days of measuring over the past few weeks, but she had finally determined the average amount of time it took Ichigo to get out of the showers after a workout: forever.

 _Does he just fall asleep in there?_

She couldn't say that she knew how it had gotten to this point, but it was now a given that she was a part of the 'Karakura Gang' as they liked to call it. Work, get-togethers and more, she was often finding herself in the company of someone in the group.

Many of them, it turned out, worked out frequently at the gym.

It had been entertaining, getting to know the variety of individuals who seemed to gravitate to Ichigo and picking up interesting facts about their personalities.

Tatsuki was a force of nature, hard-headed and loud. She often carried a no-nonsense attitude, save for when Ichigo decided to rile her up. Though always bantering with him, grilling him over one thing or another, it was obvious to any who knew them that she cared about the man she called her oldest friend.

She also made for a good boss. Tatsuki took a mostly hands-off approach, letting Claire develop and implement whatever teaching strategy worked best for her.

 _Pay's pretty good, too_ , she thought to herself, remembering the shock she felt at her last paycheck. Once she had finally gained a grasp of the currencies of her new world, Claire learned that she did quite well for herself.

Orihime and Uryuu were an interesting couple. Clearly complementing each other, the two seemed to cater to each other's social awkwardness. Uryuu's uptight, rigid personality always thawed at Orihime's theatrics and borderline excessive smiles.

Seriously, even Vanille hadn't smiled that much.

Mizuiro and the walking ball of craziness that was Keigo were always incredibly kind yet spontaneously insane, a veritable 'sitcom' of their own. While not exactly a pair that she would seek to hang out with regularly, she couldn't deny that they definitely added an interesting dimension to the group.

Yuzu, the mother hen of the group, was certainly one of the the kindest individuals she had ever met. A heart of gold and a sharp mind to match, the youngest Kurosaki never ceased to worry over the wellbeing of each and every member of their gang. Even Claire.

She still chuckled to herself every now and then at the stern warnings Yuzu had given while holding a wooden spoon as if it were a weapon.

"Claire, don't let my brute of a brother give you any nonsense! We really like having you around, so if he starts to get on your nerves, you just tell me. I will gladly set him straight!"

 _So much like Serah._

Yuzu certainly drew similarities with the youngest Farron. Sweet smiles, warm words, and a rarely shown side of steel that made even a former warrior-goddess like Lightning tense.

Aside from a slightly abnormal older brother complex that she seemed to have, Yuzu Kurosaki was someone she was always happy to see.

And then there were Karin and Chad.

Claire would never say it aloud, but the two had quickly become her favorites. Though quieter than the rest, when they actually spoke, their words would have the room rolling in laughter.

Just as the rest did, Karin and Chad gave Ichigo plenty of grief. Yet, Claire could always detect something more within their words, something deeper than the general banter that was shared.

Karin, being his younger sister, looked up to her big brother. Her subtle shifts when he spoke, the way she always gave any announcement or news to him first, or even the way she mocked him, were each tinged with respect and at least a little awe.

Chad, who she had discovered was his best friend, clearly saw Ichigo as a brother. Their interactions were more natural than the rest, many of the things they said to each other conveyed through little more than a nod or look.

While glad to know each of them better, spending time with her Karakura friends never failed to remind her of just how intensely she missed her friends—no, her family— from Cocoon, from Pulse.

Her thoughts frequently drifted to them, most often when she was alone. Loneliness was something she thought she had a handle on, yet there were moments where she wanted nothing more than to hear Serah's warm laughter, Hope's gentle encouragements, Sazh's antagonizing of Fang and Vanille, or to see the buffoon that was Snow putting Hope into a headlock.

Claire wanted to know about them, how they were, if they had made friends as she had—were they happy?

Shaking her head, she pushed the worrisome thoughts from her mind for the moment. She had happier things to think on.

While it wasn't always known who she would be hanging out with, or who she would run into, Friday—which happened to be today—would always mean full gatherings at Yuzu's apartment.

Convenient as it was, she would always end up riding to Yuzu's with Ichigo, particularly since his workouts usually finished around the time her shifts did.

Claire found that she truly enjoyed the time spent with him. Being around Ichigo was easy for her, his company often giving her the least amount of social pressure. He asked nothing from her, and seemed to take pleasure in simply hanging around her.

There were also more subtle things, things that were harder to describe that made many of their times together so—meaningful? Genuine?

She sighed, grimacing. Defining feelings was always such a chore, or at least admitting the kind that made her feel so vulnerable.

Still, when she would see his shoulders dip and his posture relax, the man he transformed into never failed to surprise her. The random smiles, the carefree laughter, even the terrible, awful but sort of cute jokes that he would occasionally try to tell were entertaining.

Just a week ago, she had even gotten to see his near-minimalist apartment. He truly was a man that knew what he liked. Sparse furniture and bare walls told a bleak story until she had encountered his living room.

A somewhat cavernous room, it was dominated by a large television, as well as a stand with multiple electronic devices that she had been getting more and more familiar with, even more so that evening.

"I passed your tests, Farron, so it's time to pay up. Go ahead and get comfortable. Sure hope you like sci-fi movies!"

"Um… Sure."

"Oh come on, it's not going to be that bad. You may even like it."

"You're pretty good at retracting credibility from your recommendations. I'm here, let's watch. I'm sure it will be fine."

It had been.

She hadn't explicitly told him so, enjoying the exasperation on his face at her refusal, but she had actually liked the movie he had made her watch. It had been funny, watching him grinning like a kid over a space war movie called 'Star Wars'.

 _If only he knew what real war amongst the stars was like._ Intimidating, Darth Vader might be, but Claire couldn't imagine a Sith as terrifying as Bhunivelze literally rising from the very fabric of the cosmos.

Rides to get-togethers in his car were always exciting, too. A fan of speed, herself, it was a pleasant rush to drop the roof, turn up the radio, and drive far too fast.

She knew that she had traveled in much more exotic fashion, but the engines that humans on this planet drove—the combustible ones—were proving to be awfully fun.

 _Come to think of it, it's about time for me to look into that…_

The reminder of time prompted her to look at a clock on the wall, and she huffed in annoyance.

Amidst all the good things Ichigo was and did, it would be better if he came for his workouts earlier, because his stupid showers took for-damn-ever, and he had no damn sense of urgency! When she was in the military, she could be showered, shaved and ready to go within a matter of minutes!

As in, less than ten…

Soft taps caught her attention, drawing a loud sigh of relief from her as she peeked down a hallway to see Ichigo making his way toward her. Clicking her tongue, she shifted her hips and called out to him.

"You know, you take a long damn time to get ready. What happened, you have to shave your legs today?"

Adjusting his bag over his shoulder as he rounded a corner into the lobby, Ichigo rolled his eyes. Claire loved to bust his chops about how he preferred to take his time showering. She was already preparing a second attack.

"Do you just have a problem with cleanliness in general, or is it that you missed me? OOF!"

Claire blinked as she turned sharply, the corner of her own bag catching Ichigo's unsuspecting stomach.

"Sorry, were you saying something?"

"Agh, demon-woman," Ichigo grunted, his shirt scratching softly as he rubbed his sore abdomen. It would seem that she had started carrying her bokkens in her bag.

"You know, not everyone takes army showers. Some of us actually enjoy getting clean."

Raising a rose-colored brow as they made their way to the entrance, Claire asked, "Demon woman? Exactly how long does it take in the shower before you feel pretty enough to get out?"

Leading them out the front doors, Ichigo smiled. "It works, doesn't it? Mrs. Tanaka—the elderly lady at the hospital I told you about—said that I was a fine looking young man, you know."

"Yes, I am sure that you are the star of the geriatric ward," she concluded, shoving him from behind.

"Geez, can't catch a break with you, can I?" Ichigo muttered as they quickly arrived at his car.

"Just shut it and open my door," Claire scoffed, folding her arms imperiously as she waited by the passenger door.

Sighing in exasperation, Ichigo groused, "Yeah, yeah, your highness. You know, one of these days, you're going to be opening my door."

A sharp chuckle was her response. Giving him the faintest of smirks, she said, "You say that every day, yet you always find a way to lose. What's ironic is that you're the one who made the rule about the loser opening the winner's door. If it's that bad, I might just feel sorry for you and give you a win."

"Kiss my ass."

"While it would certainly be a change from kicking it all the time, I think I will pass."

"Damn, I can't even win in banter."

Sliding her sunglasses on, Claire turned with a single brow raised over the mirrored lenses. Remembering his ramblings from the day when she had refused to comment on his favorite movie, she decided to give humor another try.

"One day, young Padawan. One day."

Ichigo's stunned look and subsequent laughter was quickly drowned out by him opening his car door and igniting the engine. His grin never faltered as he celebrated one of the only victories over Claire he could claim.

 **XXXXXX**

Tatsuki Arisawa grinned to herself as she watched Ichigo's car peel out of her parking lot from the window of her office. Over the last few weeks, she had been beyond pleased to see Ichigo and Claire becoming closer.

There was just something about the pair that worked. Their stubborn, somewhat introverted loner natures, their ferocious fighting prowess, and their sarcastic wits always made for an amusing time.

Having 'taken a page' from Yuzu's book, Tatsuki was now doing what she could to get Ichigo to actually ask Claire on a date. Sure, there was potential for screwing a lot of things up, but something told her that it wouldn't be the case this time.

Their chemistry undeniable, the two seemed too good for each other for them to be anything other than a successful couple. Sure, Ichigo was stupid and would often do something to get his ass beat, but overall he seemed to bring Claire out of her shell far more than anyone else did.

When bantering, the two seemed to fall into their own world. Barbs, snark, and other verbal jabs were traded, and more recently they had taken to slipping idiotic movie references into their conversations. Well, Ichigo had tried once or twice as a joke, and Claire had seemed fine with humoring him.

Getting Yuzu to make Friday nights their weekly hangout had been far more beneficial than she had thought. Aside from getting to see all of her friends more regularly, Tatsuki now had an excuse to put the two together more often. Ichigo's chivalry and Claire's lack of a vehicle were a perfect match for the moment.

 _'For the moment' is right._

Looking at her current client list, Tatsuki was shocked to see Claire's classes amassing such high attendance. She was booked solid for weeks on end, and the clients kept coming!

Her no nonsense attitude, her undeniable skill, and her inescapably good looks hit some winning combination with customers, and Tatsuki was never one to complain about good business.

Still…

Staring incredulously at the data in her hands, she knew that Claire was rapidly approaching the point that she could safely buy almost any damn car she really wanted, so Ichigo needed to get a move on.

Rolling her eyes at herself, Tatsuki sat back in her chair, a light squeak of protest the only noise in the room. It was Friday evening and all she was thinking about was being some kind of Cupid character.

 _Kami, I need a life._

The problem was, Ichigo did too.

That's really why she agreed to help Yuzu, if she was honest. Yes, Claire was great—and yes, she was great for Ichigo. Tatsuki would gladly admit that they had chemistry.

But Ichigo…

That idiot seemed to relish in working himself into an early grave. He may have been technically dead, but the bastard was going to burn himself out if he didn't stop and realize that there was a world outside of hollows and sick people.

Ichigo needed a life. Ichigo needed more than his friends – he needed a partner. He needed someone who could touch a part of his life that had been forsaken for far too long. There had been a deeper connection once, but that had ended roughly for him, no matter how 'mutual' he had claimed it to be.

Tatsuki wasn't blind. She saw the small, fleeting smiles when he and Claire were together. The lingering, meaningful glances each thought they got away with. The idiotic way that Ichigo talked when around her.

 _Seriously, Star Wars references? He's such a moron!_

Regardless, whatever the hell it was that they had, it worked, and damn it all if Tatsuki Arisawa would stand aside and let her oldest friend's idiocy ruin a great thing.

Stretching her shoulders and shaking her head, she stood and made her way toward the showers. She wanted to make it in time for some of Yuzu's near-famous cooking, knowing full well that stragglers usually arrived to empty dishes.

Minutes later, once she had finished towel-drying her hair, Tatsuki felt a familiar pulse of energy coming from the basement of the gym. The basement that only certain people knew of.

 _Shinigami? Who would be coming here, now?_

Dressing quickly, she wondered who she would find. There had been some irregular hollow activity, sure, but with Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad and Orihime around, there was little that couldn't be handled.

It didn't really matter, in all honesty, as long as it wasn't a particular shinigami. A shinigami whose past with Ichigo could disrupt the promising future that Tatsuki and his sister were trying to help jumpstart.

Shaking the dramatic thoughts away, Tatsuki opened the locker room doors to find herself looking into two wide, violet eyes.

"Rukia?!"

 **XXXXXX**

Yuzu Kurosaki gasped in panic as she read the screen of her phone. Tatsuki had just messaged her, giving her the single piece of news that she didn't want to hear today.

Rukia was in town.

 _Darn! Darn darn darn darn damn—eep!_

Slapping her hands over her mouth and chastising herself for letting Karin corrupt her vocabulary, Yuzu refocused on the matter at hand.

Rukia Kuchiki was in town on the night that everyone would be coming to her apartment.

It wasn't that she hated the raven-haired woman, far from it, but Rukia Kuchiki was the one part of Ichigo's life that she wasn't sure had been resolved.

Their attempt at dating had been a disaster, and ever since their breakup, the two always seemed weird around each other.

She couldn't describe it well, but when the two were together, they would revert to their old ways, bickering, fighting, and generally acting the way that they did in the build up to their romantic attempts.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was only weird to her. Still, what else was she supposed to think? How many couples could go back to acting like nothing had ever happened between them, that nothing had transpired beyond the abnormally strong friendship they had?

 _Ugh, of all nights, why tonight?!_

Tatsuki and Yuzu had been working diligently on 'leading' Ichigo into realizing what was right in front of his face. The romantic potential between Ichigo and Claire was great, but it was clear that nothing would happen on its own. The pair continued to unknowingly dance around any form of breaching the topic, each seeming to be helplessly unaware of the other.

Yet, the way that he and Claire interacted, the way that they would sneak the briefest of glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking—it was adorable! They were clearly great friends, each bringing out good in the other, but there was so much potential for more.

How could they not see it?

The answer, in all honesty, was that they had as much work to do with Claire as they did with Ichigo. She seemed as clueless as her brother as to their chemistry, which only made Yuzu want to bring them together more.

The rose-haired woman who had stumbled into all of their lives clearly had a past of her own, and it seemed to keep her guarded from everyone around her. There were fleeting flashes of her dropping her defenses, yet it was Ichigo who seemed to be able to not only trigger those flashes, but sustain them for longer periods of time.

 _Focus, Yuzu! They could be here any moment!_

 _Knock knock._

Her face slipping into a pout, Yuzu shook her hands to try and rid her mind of her frustrations, then quickly made her way to the door.

 **XXXXXX**

A small smile graced Ichigo's lips as he navigated the winding streets leading to Yuzu's apartment. It had been a pleasant drive, with very little traffic and a striking sunset to grace their view.

Once more glancing to his right, he noticed Claire's tranquil expression, her head resting against the headrest as the wind whipped pink hair around her face. She looked at peace, relaxed.

He would not deny that he enjoyed these moments not just for himself, but for her, as well. Ichigo saw the tension that she carried in her steps, the ever-present burden of memory, of past experiences, and knew how much they could weigh on a person.

He dealt with enough of them, himself.

Yet, the number of times that Claire had been dropping her guard had been increasing in frequency.

They were small things, a gentle laugh here, a smile so brief he'd wondered if he'd seen correctly. Even during time with his friends, Claire would relax, sharing stories with Karin or listening patiently to Yuzu.

The moments were even more frequent when it was just himself and her. Relaxing around Claire was simple, almost natural. Her composed, reserved personality was complementary to his own, and her ability to give just as much as she received—whether fighting, arguing, or simply teasing— was endearing.

Some of his favorite moments were when they rode together to gatherings. The way she enjoyed the sun shining on her face, the wind in her hair, and the way she quietly hummed and nodded to the blaring music.

Maybe not always having this time of day solely to himself was okay.

 _Could definitely be a hell of a lot worse…_

"I know that you have good reflexes, Ichigo, but you're going to have to look at the road at some point."

 _…but probably couldn't get much more awkward._

Flushing slightly at being caught, Ichigo rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself.

Somehow he always managed to forget Claire's impeccable senses and awareness. The woman had to have eyes in the back and sides of her head. Maybe a sixth sense? Whatever it was, it made for some uncomfortable—

Feeling eyes on his face, Ichigo turned slightly. Seeing Claire's gaze fixed on him, he turned back to the road, only to quickly snap his attention back to her.

 _Was that…_

In the intermittent glances between her face and the road, Ichigo noticed her gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a nearly imperceptible smile on her lips.

 _She busts my chops more than Rukia and Tatsuki combined,_ he thought wryly.

 _"_ ** _Who do you think you're kidding? You love it,"_** Zangetsu muttered within his mind.

"I just have to make sure that you're real, sometimes," Ichigo called over the rushing air, ignoring his inner spirit. Seeing Claire turn to him, a questioning look crossing her face, he continued.

"You not only humor my movie preferences, but you made a Star Wars reference, you like all of the same music, you seem to love driving fast with the roof down, you're an insane fighter, and you ride my ass more than just about anyone I've ever met. Hell, Chad doesn't even do all that. So, like I said: I have to make sure you're real every now and then."

"…I'm not sure what to tell you."

Rolling his eyes, more at himself than at her, Ichigo sighed, "It was supposed to be a compliment. I'm not that great at them, apparently."

Trying to contain the rising heat in his cheeks, Ichigo did all that he could to focus on the road, and not on his reflection in Claire's sunglasses.

It never ceased to amaze him that he could tell a patient everything about their body, from how it was built to how it worked, yet he couldn't tell a pretty girl something as simple as the fact that he enjoyed being around her.

"Dork," she said quietly—so quietly that he would later ask himself if he had heard correctly.

Seeing the entrance of his sister's apartment, he did what he could to push the embarrassing thoughts from his mind. There were better things to think on.

He could see a few of his friends' cars out front, Yuzu had told him that she was making his favorite dish, and he obviously hadn't been that much of an idiot—the small smirk seemed to still be tugging at Claire's lips.

Taking a deep breath as he stepped out of his now-parked car, Ichigo quietly closed the door, pausing to consider all that he had seen since—

"You know, if you just stand there and zone out all night, Chad's going to eat all of the food," Claire called from Yuzu's doorstep.

 _How did she…?_

Shaking his head, Ichigo chuckled to himself as he walked to join Claire at the door.

 **XXXXXX**

Rukia Kuchiki sighed to herself as she watched trees and buildings zoom by through the window of Tatsuki's car.

The modest sedan was cozy, yet her ride was anything but comfortable. Discreetly reaching to what hung on her chest, she clutched the reason for both her anxiety and confidence.

It had been little surprise to her when Renji had proposed. The man was terrible at keeping secrets, his near-constant nervousness over the last few weeks a clear indicator that he was building up the courage for something.

Smiling softly to herself, she recalled the moment that he had asked, his face so pale and frightened that he had nearly dropped the ring.

It was something she would forever find amusing, especially when she considered how fierce he was on the battlefield. Her fiancé was a more than capable lieutenant, a damn good shinigami, yet putty in her hands.

 _My jackass._

Now here she was, about to go tell her original jackass that she was going to marry the 'Pineapple Jackass,' as Ichigo liked to call him.

Why was she so nervous?

Hers and Ichigo's relationship had ended years ago, and quite amicably, to be honest. The two were—by some strange miracle—able to revert to how they had been before they had begun dating.

More than friends, yet less than lovers.

It had been a relief, when they had decided to remain friends. Their relationship had been stretched over a dimension, as Ichigo had refused to give up his human life to permanently move to the Soul Society.

 _Well, that's not entirely true._

Ichigo had offered, hell, he had damn near completed the process when she had learned what he was doing.

It had been hard to bear, seeing the look in his eyes whenever he had thought about giving up his human life, his friends and family. She had become physically ill from the stress of worrying over so many details, so many possibilities for their future.

Though painful, they had let each other go. He letting her remain within her ranks, within the plans she had made for herself over the decades she had been a shinigami. She letting him return to the only life he had known, the life that had been all but stolen from him by forces and wars beyond his imagining.

Still, there was no one she trusted more.

Ichigo Kurosaki was her partner, her truest friend, and she had wanted him to be the first to know of her engagement. She wanted his blessing, his best wishes… his approval.

Though not romantically involved anymore, Rukia still talked to Ichigo about everything. He listened and he cared. He never wanted anything less than the best for her, and she hoped beyond hope that he saw in Renji what she did.

Looking over to the slightly-too-focused Tatsuki, she smirked to herself.

Rukia Kuchiki was no fool. She felt the tension, saw the nervousness that her Karakura friends felt every time she and Ichigo were around each other. It was as if they were expecting the two of them to begin mauling each other at any moment.

How ridiculous!

While it was true that they had been lovers—even truly in love at one point—there were few in existence who could understand the bond and the friendship that truly defined them. The romantic chapter of their lives was over, a sweet, unobtrusive memory that only served to strengthen their friendship.

It was a joy for each of them that they were able to return to what they had been, he a brooding delinquent too stubborn for his own good, and she a 'regal midget' who had full rights to kick his ass whenever she deemed appropriate.

Smiling to herself, she knew that Ichigo would be happy for her. She still wanted to hear the words, to see the excitement in his eyes, but it was comforting to know that she could count on him.

 _Regardless, he's going to be so pissed when he hears that Byakuya knew before him._

She smiled more deeply, thinking of the unending competition the men in her life had with each other. They were idiots, and she loved them all the more for it.

Feeling Tatsuki's car decelerate, she looked up from her musings to see that not only had they arrived, but Ichigo had beaten them there.

Rukia took a deep breath, summoning her courage as she prepared to tell her best friend about the biggest moment in her life.

 **XXXXXX**

"Are you serious?!"

Stunned, Ichigo watched in amazement as Rukia pulled on a chain that had been tucked in her shirt. Dangling from the end was a glittering jewel atop a silver ring.

It had happened. It had finally happened! That pineapple-headed jackass had actually popped the question, and she was clearly telling him first!

"'Bout time someone claimed your pain-in-the-ass self," he grumbled, doing his best to contain his smile as he looked at Rukia's own, which was becoming less and less friendly with each—

"Ow!" he shouted, grabbing his shin where she suddenly kicked him.

"Who are you to call someone a pain in the ass?!"

Putting his foot back onto the deck outside Yuzu's apartment, Ichigo finally smiled. He couldn't help it – his best friend was getting married!

Walking forward with a begrudging smile of her own, Rukia hugged Ichigo around the waist, her head resting against his abdomen.

"Thank you."

"Thank—what? What did I do?"

"I know we're close, Ichigo, but I was still nervous about telling you. We've had a long history, and I really… It means a lot to me that you're happy about this."

Hugging her back, Ichigo chuckled, "Of course I'm happy. You two are good for each other, and all of your violent tendencies now have a better target."

"Smartass," she murmured into his shirt, laughing to herself.

Stepping back, Ichigo gazed into the eyes of the woman who had so deeply changed his life what felt like a lifetime ago. Her eyes quickly averting, he raised a brow in confusion.

"Ichigo, before we tell the others, I was told to give you a message."

"Oh?" he responded, interested by the sudden bashfulness of the never bashful Rukia.

"Yes. Nii-sama made me promise to tell you, but I am trusting you to understand the why behind it."

"Um, okay?"

Looking to her in confusion, he wondered what could possibly be so bad. Hadn't she just told him she was getting married? This was a happy moment, right?

Then again, the message was from Byakuya. The man seemed to have an all-too-healthy competitive side, and he loved to rub Ichigo's face in any defeat, no matter how trivial.

Taking a deep breath, Rukia puffed her cheeks, met his gaze and said, "His words were, 'She came to me first. Deal with it'."

"Son of a bitch," Ichigo muttered under his breath. "Are you kidding me?! You had to tell Sakura-boy about this first? What the hell, Rukia?"

 _Click._

"Sorry!" Rukia answered, looking apologetic as she quickly snapped a picture of Ichigo's outraged face with a cellular phone that seemed to magically appear.

"Don't you send that! Don't you dare—"

 _Swoosh._

"Sorry!" she replied again, her phone giving the telltale sound of a sent message.

"Nii-sama said that he would pay for the entire wedding, our honeymoon, and an estate for us to start out with if I got him a picture of you reacting to the news of him hearing it first! I had to, Ichigo!"

Running a hand through his hair, Ichigo groaned in exasperation.

He should have known something like this was coming. Byakuya had never forgiven him once he had learned that Ichigo and Rukia had become lovers, back when he was in medical school.

 _Why can't he let that go?_

It had been an interesting day, to say the least.

 **…**

"You insolent fool! How _dare_ you think that you can defile my sister's purity!" Byakuya bellowed, a loud snick signifying the sliding of Senbonzakura's blade from its sheath.

"Hey… you do realize that we both made the choice, right?" Ichigo snapped, grabbing Zangetsu's massive blade from his back.

"Shut up, Ichigo! Nii-sama, please!" Rukia cried, trying to intervene, yet her brother could not take his eyes away from Ichigo.

"Silence! Do you realize what you've done?! Not only have you sullied the body of my young sister, but you have tarnished her name. Once the clan learns of—"

"Oh shut the hell up!" Ichigo shouted, stepping forward aggressively as he pointed his blade at Byakuya.

He was livid, having always complained of Byakuya's endless attempts to adhere to old traditions. Rukia could only assume that it was his exhaustion from the endless fight and outrage at such a blatant statement that inspired the most un-Ichigo-like of moments she had ever witnessed to occur.

"Are you trying to tell me that your clan has nothing better to do than to worry about Rukia's vagina?!"

Oppressive, overwhelming silence fell upon the opulent study within the Kuchiki mansion. Byakuya stood, mouth agape at the audacity of the young man before him.

 _Snort_.

Breaking the tense moment in the room, both men turned to look at the red faced Rukia, nearly doubled over in laughter.

There was no need to question, as hearing her boyfriend say the word 'vagina' to her brother was clearly too much for Rukia to handle.

Standing in shock, Byakuya was torn.

He wanted nothing more than to tear the boy before him to shreds, but in truth, Rukia was a grown woman and had been for some time. She was old enough to know what she wanted, to be responsible… to choose an idiot of a boyfriend as her lover.

How could she be so reckless, though? Did she not realize the level of public stature she had attained, just from being his sister?

Still, that laughter. The fact that she was literally rolling on the floor in good humor. That laughter had not been heard in decades.

 _Such a sweet sound…_

Damn it all! He knew attacking the boy, or forbidding Rukia to see him, would only backfire. He couldn't push her away again, not after he had finally gotten her to see him as the brother he should have always been.

Leveling a murderous glance at the boy, Byakuya could only promise a lifetime of payback, retribution both large and small—anything, everything that would infuriate the boy would be used.

Ichigo Kurosaki would forever regret the day he tested Byakuya Kuchiki's patience.

…

Looking between his fingers at the ridiculous face of innocence that Rukia was now trying to portray, it still surprised Ichigo just how petty the Kuchiki clan leader could be.

Rolling his eyes, he snapped, "Yeah yeah, whatever, little traitor. Let's just go in so you can tell everyone else."

 **XXXXXX**

The room was deathly quiet for several seconds, its inhabitants looking confusedly at each other before the squealing pair of Yuzu and Orihime had launched themselves at Rukia, demanding to see the ring.

Claire watched with calculating eyes as the woman claiming to be Ichigo's best friend shared the news of her impending nuptials.

It had been surprising to see an attractive young woman arrive with Tatsuki, then make her way directly to Ichigo, grabbing his hand and dragging him outside with her while shouting to the rest that she would be right back.

Not the most common of greetings, even on Pulse.

Rukia, an unusual name, but then every name that she encountered since arriving in Japan had seemed uncommon to her. Ichigo, Tatsuki, Yuzu…

"Good grief," Ichigo muttered, interrupting her thoughts.

Looking to her left, she saw Ichigo—who had flopped down and retaken his seat beside her—rolling his eyes at the near over-the-top joy that Yuzu was showing over Rukia's announcement.

Apparently Renji, a guy that everyone but she knew, had been dragging his feet for quite some time with the marriage proposal. Ichigo himself was smiling about the events, bantering good-naturedly with Rukia about pineapples and midgets, and his curiosity around their potential offspring.

Claire remained silent, observing the room and its occupants. She had yet to be introduced to this woman, something seemingly forgotten in the wake of the news, but it seemed that Rukia's announcement brought quite a bit of joy to the group.

Well, maybe joy wasn't the best of terms. Not for all of them.

Keigo, Mizuiro, and most of the others were all gathered around Rukia, giving their happy congratulations. Around the room, however, she noticed a few other looks. Tatsuki had dropped onto a couch, sharing meaningful looks with Yuzu and Chad.

Looks that weren't so much joyous, but… _relieved_?

Why would they be relieved? Was it really that big of a deal?

Sure, engagements were good things. Even given the buffoon of a groom, Claire had still been happy for her sister. Had her Karakura friends really been so worried about this pair's relationship?

 _Weird._

"…That's so strange. Awesome, but strange," she caught Keigo saying as he clapped Rukia on the shoulder. Handing the shorter woman a beer, he continued.

"After all of the crazy things that you've done, I could've sworn that you and Ichigo were going to be the ones getting married. Eh, guess you just have a thing for men with reddish hair, huh?"

 _What?!_ Ichigo and this woman were going to get married?

Stunned, Claire wasn't sure what to think of the odd revelation.

This woman—an ex of Ichigo's—yet now his close friend?

Had they been planning on marriage? Yet now he was someone she came to see first to tell her biggest news? The questions piled up, and one stood out from amongst the rest—

 _Why the hell do I care?_

She had her own past, both as Claire and as Lightning. She had her own experiences, even brief dalliances in love—if they could be called that. Even so, why did the sudden revelation about Ichigo's past bring up so many questions in her present?

Her musings were cut short by a dull _thunk_ and loud cry.

"Ow!"

His head rocking back, Claire watched as Tatsuki's half-filled beer can struck Keigo in the forehead, knocking him to the floor.

"W-What the hell, Tats?!" the injured man cried, gripping his head tightly.

"Quit being a jackass! We're here because Rukia wanted to celebrate her engagement with friends, idiot," she groused, giving a quick, worried glance to Claire before turning back to Yuzu.

 _Okay, now this is getting a little uncomfortable. What is it that I am missing?_

"Speaking of friends," Ichigo interrupted, noisily shifting on the couch beside Claire. Getting to his feet, she watched as he turned to her.

"Claire, this is Rukia Kuchiki. She's a friend of ours from—out of town. We've known her for a long time."

Standing, herself, Claire stepped forward, extending her hand. She had no real problems introducing herself to Ichigo's former—whatever—?

 _Right._

"Hello, Rukia. I'm Claire."

The pretty, shorter woman returned the gesture, grasping Claire's hand. "Nice to meet you, Claire."

"Likewise."

With their greetings exchanged, an awkward silence fell over the room for the briefest of moments.

"Ungh, Tatsuki… You suck," Keigo groaned from the floor, drawing everyone's attention. As he came into a sitting position, snorts and laughter began to erupt when a sharp, red ring on his forehead became evident.

Chuckling quietly, Tatsuki rolled her eyes and turned back to Rukia.

"Claire is pretty new to Japan, but she's an instructor at my gym. She teaches sword fighting and advanced hand-to-hand combat. Checked it out before I left – she's so popular that she's booked solid for the next few months."

A dark, raised eyebrow met the introduction. Looking impressed, Rukia said, "You know a lot about sword fighting and combat? Talk about falling in with the right crowd."

"Yeah, that's what I've found out."

"And you're a teacher? Maybe one day you can help the hopeless case that is Ichigo."

Smirking at the loud groan from Ichigo, Claire kept her laughter in check long enough to hear him mutter a curse as his body flopped back onto the couch.

"Oh get over it, Ichigo. You know that you suck at actual swordplay," Rukia called out, looking around Claire's shoulder to taunt her friend.

"Oh yeah? Tell that to your brother," he muttered in annoyance, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

Claire smiled, knowing exactly where the conversation was going, if the expression on Karin's face was any indication.

"Geez, why are you so pissy tonight?" Rukia asked, shifting her weight onto her hip and leveling an annoyed glare at Ichigo. Turning back to Claire, she smirked.

"We can take a seat next to the grouchy one, Claire. Don't worry, he's all bark."

"Is that so?" Claire responded dryly, smirking at the now deadpan Ichigo.

Getting no reply, Rukia walked over to his side, sitting on the couch beside him. Still hearing no answer to her query, Claire watched as Rukia raised a fist and punched Ichigo just above his knee.

"Don't think you can ignore me, jackass!" she shouted, only for a large hand to place itself on her forehead, casually pushing her backwards.

"Blah blah blah, nobody can ignore you, little midget. And I am not pissy, for your information."

"Ah, he is just uncomfortable, Rukia," Orihime interrupted, a thoughtful look on her face. "Ichigo-kun has been acting strangely for a while, now. Ever since he ran Claire over when he met her, and when she beat him in a spar."

Hearing a muffled groan from Ichigo, whose face was now covered by a couch pillow, Claire smiled as she watched a devious grin cross Rukia's lips.

 _I never thought Orihime would be the one to tell on him._

"You run her over when you meet her, then she whoops your ass in a match?! Oh, Nii-sama is going to love this!"

"This again? Really guys? Ugh, and what is it with you and your damned Nii-sama?" Ichigo moaned, dropping the pillow. "Isn't Renji going to get jealous of your brother complex?"

"Now now, Ichigo. It's okay, I've found that this world is really progressive! Women beat men at all kinds of things these days, so you shouldn't feel too bad!" Rukia cooed, patting his knee patronizingly to the choked humor of the room.

"Ah, shut the hell up, you smartass midget!"

"I'm sure the ladies of the SWA would get a kick out of the big, bad, Berry getting his butt handed to him by the very woman he trampled as an introduction!"

"Aaaannnnd this conversation is now over. Thanks, you tiny pain in my—and now Renji's—ass."

"Uh huh," Rukia acquiesced with a smirk. Sitting up further she reached over, gently rustling Ichigo's hair.

"You need a haircut. This is getting too shaggy again."

Claire smiled at the banter. It seemed that everyone loved to antagonize Ichigo, and knew exactly what buttons to push. It was also clear that—at least when it was pointed out—he was a very sore loser.

However, she felt a gnawing _something_ as she watched Ichigo swat at Rukia's hand.

It was humorous, like a young boy swatting his mother's hand away when embarrassed. There was no true discomfort, no nervousness within each touch. There was an understanding in place.

Their interactions were so natural, so comfortable.

Maybe that was the cause of the knot that was forming in Claire's stomach? Ichigo and Rukia's interactions had been making Claire feel strange all evening; perhaps she had found the root.

 _Damn it all, this is getting annoying. Why do I care that he's so comfortable with her touch?_

 _Or that he doesn't shy away at all…_

Maybe it was the ease of the contact, the depth of relationship required by Ichigo to allow such a thing to occur. Claire had seen more than enough of Ichigo's interaction with people to witness his low tolerance for physical contact.

Still, this woman had claimed a close friendship with Ichigo, so what was bothering her about the contact? Even though they were formerly romantically involved, her emotions didn't feel like jealousy, not that she could tell.

Then what? What was it that was twisting her stomach, tightening her muscles and causing her such discomfort—if it could be called discomfort?

Unexpected and unbidden, it was actually Lumina's voice that rang in her mind.

 _"You know what's bothering you. No need to deny it!"_

 _Even when she's 'returned' to me, that brat's always got something to say._

No need to deny it? Why would she deny her discomfort? Why should she be bothered that Ichigo Kurosaki was proving to be an incredibly potent salve for the bitter loneliness that would encroach upon her mind?

The answer was startlingly simple. Uncomfortably simple. Rukia's ability to touch Ichigo so familiarly was awakening something unknown to both Lightning and Claire.

Want.

Claire had never known want, never truly known desire before. Ever since her parents' deaths, it had been one strategy after another, countless plans that did little more than occupy her mind.

Lightning had been born from this, her creation flowing from the fear and vulnerability that Claire had been unable to face. Lightning was the form that protected Claire and Serah from the onslaught of an ever-changing life, yet now… things were far quieter.

 _Which all boils down to the fact that I am beyond 'out of my depth.'_

She had touched people before. Hell, she had even hugged and comforted Hope on more than one occasion!

Still, that was… different. Different feelings, almost familial in nature. She had wanted to protect Hope, comfort him in the grueling struggles of his life as his partner, his family. With Ichigo, however, things were more complicated, more—just more.

Perhaps she would work on that. Perhaps it was the next phase of…whatever it was they were.

Did this mean that she was romantically interested in Ichigo Kurosaki?

It wasn't the worst thing she had ever heard of, if she were being completely objective. He was a generous, kind, smart man who was fun and easy to be around, and he happened to be pleasing enough to look at…

 _Not crucial, by any means, but it's kind of nice._

Mentally shaking her head at herself, Claire returned to the present just in time to hear Ichigo telling their story.

"…so I go in for a lunge. Should've been simple, an easy win. Then Claire runs at me full speed, steps onto my knee and launches herself into some acrobatic flip. She lands behind me and I have a bokken at my neck before I know what's going on."

A quick look of surprise from Rukia informed Claire that what she had done was not usually… done.

"The look on Ichigo's face was priceless. What I wouldn't give to have a picture of that moment," Tatsuki crowed from her seat across the room.

"That's really impressive Claire," Rukia commented. "I hope to get to see these moves myself, one day."

"Are you a sword user as well?"

Rukia nodded with a smirk. Patting Ichigo's head, she laughed, "Sure am. Taught this one here everything he knows, though he's clearly forgetting a lot."

Claire's brow raised.

 _So, birds of a feather, huh? Looks like everyone here has some kind of fighting background. Well, maybe not the twins, but that would be it. Interesting._

Feeling a faint tickle at her clavicle, Claire raised her hand just as a loud _beep_ rang out.

The room fell silent, turning in unison to the table in the corner where they had left their mobile phones. Tension grew rapidly, and Claire was confused by the quick glances many gathered passed between themselves.

"Ah, it must be someone from the hospital," Uryuu sighed, standing quickly and grabbing his device. With a brief nod to Ichigo, he continued, "If you do not mind, I will step out and call them back. Please, continue without me, I will return shortly."

As the door clicked behind him, conversation immediately resumed.

 _That was weird._

It must have been an emergency at the hospital. That was all that Claire could think of that could cause such tension with a simple phone notification.

Shrugging the thought off, she settled back into the cushions of the sofa, watching the interactions around the room in amusement.

"It's been a pretty good night, huh?"

Turning her attention to Ichigo, she nodded in response. It had been a fun night, indeed. Though the start had been a little weird, she had relaxed quite a bit from that point.

"You have very interesting friends, Ichigo."

With a smirk, he chuckled and nudged her knee with his own. "They're your friends too, Claire. I can't say that I've seen them take to someone as quickly as they have you, though. It's just your bubbly personality, eh?"

Smirking slightly, Claire gave a sharp poke to his ribs with her knuckle.

"Yeah, that's what I'm known for."

She smiled to herself. Maybe she could do this. Just like with humor, a big portion of this was in making the attempt.

 _Seems to work thus far._

As Ichigo leaned back to meet her position, they continued chatting, even when Uryuu came back fifteen minutes later, his hair slightly disheveled.

On and on the night passed with pleasant conversations, witty banter, and plenty of laughter to fill the modest apartment.

Sighing to herself, Claire could only be grateful for the sense of normalcy that her new friends provided.

 **XXXXXX**

Yuzu smiled as she dried another dish, thinking happily to herself as the group chatted loudly behind her.

She loved having these get-togethers at her apartment. Playing host was her element, and she never failed to receive less-than-glowing compliments from those who partook in the fruits of her culinary labors.

Or "damn good cookin','' as Ichigo liked to call it.

Giggling at the curious look that Claire had given him when he had uttered that phrase earlier in the evening, she knew that Karakura's latest resident had a thing for her brother, even if the woman didn't fully know it, herself.

It was strange, watching the pair interact. Their relationship bore much of the inherent banter that Ichigo and Tatsuki's friendship did, yet there were also quite a few unspoken moments, more like he had with Rukia.

She seemed to bring out somewhat more of the gentleman in him, if only just. He often waited until she was seated to sit, would get her drinks, and always included her in the conversation.

 _It's about time he stopped acting like a Neanderthal when outside the clinic and hospital!_

Still, it was clear that they needed some kind of push to get them thinking of each other in a less-than-platonic manner. Smart they may have been, but insightful they were not.

 _Ichi-nii deserves some real happiness in his life, and from everything she's shown us, Claire does too._

Huffing to herself, she frowned.

 _I'd have more time to plan it if I didn't have to prepare for that silly event with Ichi-nii on Sunday!_

Seriously, it never ceased to amaze Yuzu at the nonsense that her brother liked. Every year, he was invited to some Grand Prix-racing-event-thing by the hospital board, and every year he offered to take either her or Karin as a 'thank you' to them. Karin went last year, and though he hadn't asked, she knew he would probably invite her tonight, just to keep things fair.

Sure, it was quite the elaborate event with celebrities, fine champagne, and fast cars, but she really could not care less about sporting events. She watched Karin's football matches out of love, and only attended these events with Ichigo because it made him so hap—

Slapping her cleaning brush down in inspiration, Yuzu yelped at the plume of suds and water that splashed her apron.

 _That's it! A fancy event that he is always happy about, and it would just be him and her! Why have I not thought of this until now?!_

"Claire?" she called from the kitchen, turning around to see that she had the attention of the rose haired woman. Said woman smiled kindly as she rose, presumably to help with cleanup.

 _She's such a nice woman._

"No, you don't have to come help or anything. I was just wondering… What do you have going on this Sunday?"

Raising a thoughtful brow, Claire pondered a moment.

"I don't believe I have any plans, at the moment. Why?"

"Oh, I just forgot that I had made plans with Tatsuki this weekend. Ichi-nii, you should take Claire to the race on Sunday!"

"The… race?" Claire asked, her brow raised questioningly as she turned to Ichigo.

Rubbing the back of his head, Ichigo looked slightly uncomfortable, cutting a small glare to Yuzu over her shoulder.

"Uh, yeah. Every year, I get invited to a big racing event that happens all around the world, including here in Japan. It's pretty fun, and kinda fancy…"

"Kinda?" Karin scoffs. "There are celebrities, politicians, and more booze than you've ever seen in your life. The racing's okay, I guess. Loud engines and fast cars."

"Exactly! Didn't you say that you liked fast cars, Claire? This would be great for you to go to with Ichi-nii!" Yuzu exclaimed, her smile beaming.

 _Come on, Ichi-nii, don't be a jerk!_

Inwardly rolling her eyes at her brother's lost look, Yuzu gave him a stern glance once Claire's attention was turned.

"Y-Yeah, it could be fun," Ichigo said, looking confusedly at her before turning back to Claire. "That is, if you'd want to go."

Yuzu's hand clapped to her face.

 _Why? Why must my brother be as dense as a brick?! He's looking at her like he's a lost puppy. Just ask the woman on a date! He hasn't dated a woman in ages, and he needs to get out of his office every now and again._

Not to mention, he and Claire were just so perfect for each other! Even if things didn't work out, it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

Sighing, she knew that a sister's work was never done.

Smirking at Tatsuki as Ichigo finally 'asked,' and Claire finally answered, "Um, alright," Yuzu Kurosaki breathed a sigh of relief.

Try as they might to make it difficult, they were finally making some progress.

She watched as the room slowly returned to its normal tone of conversation, but she could not stop the smile that bloomed on her face as she watched a slightly flushed Claire sink back into the sofa cushions, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at Ichigo.

 **XXXXXX**

"What a night, huh?" Ichigo hedged, stretching as he stepped out of his car.

"Hm? Oh, yes, you could say that."

Hearing the distracted hum, Ichigo turned to face Claire, who was just shutting the passenger door with a solid _click_.

She had been distracted the entire ride back to her apartment, lost in her own thoughts.

"Everything okay?"

Her head turned, and her brows were raised high as she clearly came back into the moment.

"Hm? Yes, everything is fine."

Shrugging to himself, Ichigo walked alongside her towards her apartment door. She was a big girl, she'd let him know if she needed something, surely.

"You know…" she started, only to suddenly stop again.

"What's up?" he asked, nudging her shoulder slightly, trying to snap her out of whatever funk she found herself in. Rather quickly, she began speaking again.

"I know that Yuzu asked in front of everyone, and I didn't want to make it awkward, but it's okay if you would rather take someone else on Sunday. I don't want you to feel obligated or put on the spot."

Raising a brow of his own, Ichigo chuckled, "Yeah, Yuzu learned a little too much from Tatsuki, huh?"

"She certainly has her moments, but I mean it. I felt you tense up when she asked, but I didn't want to make it feel uncomfortable there."

"Ah, that," Ichigo sighed as he rubbed his head. "Well, Claire, it's not that I don't want you to go. That's not it at all. I just… I wish that she'd held off on the invite."

"Given the time, I would guess that you've already invited someone. It's no worry, Ichigo, really," she nodded in understanding.

"No!" Ichigo said, shaking his head.

"No?"

"Ah, yeah… No. Look, I haven't invited anyone, but I was going to invite you."

Trying to reconcile his nervousness with the fact that she had already agreed to go, Claire answered in confusion.

"Oh? I mean—thank you, but please don't feel obligated to—"

Ichigo lightly grabbed her arm just as she was reaching her door. Gathering his courage, he said, "I meant that I was going to invite you—as a date."

Claire paused, looking quickly up to Ichigo's face. He was nervous, clearly, but he seemed genuine.

"You're asking me out?" she asked, watching his expression closely.

"Yeah."

 _Come on, it hasn't been that long, has it?_

"You're not the smoothest of guys, are you?"

 _Okay, maybe it has._

With a sharp sigh, Ichigo murmured, "Nope, can't really say that I am. It's been ages, and I have no real clue as to what the hell I'm doing."

"So you're not sure if you're asking me out?"

"What? No, I am positive on that part."

 _Am I really that bad at this?_ he thought to himself, only to frown in aggravation at the affirmations from his zanpakuto.

"Why?"

 _Ah, now that I can answer._

"Simple. I like you."

For a moment, neither said a word. Ichigo stood tensely watching as Claire seemed to be searching him for something. Whatever it was, he had no clue, but the faint flush on her cheeks was something he took as a positive.

 _She hasn't actually said no…_

"Okay."

Mouth falling open in surprise, Ichigo repeated, "O-Okay?"

 _She actually said yes?_

With a small smile, Claire reached forward, lightly pushing his hanging jaw closed.

"Okay."

And with that, she turned, disappearing into her apartment.

Ichigo could not stop the full-fledged smile that crossed his lips. He may have been awkward, possibly the furthest thing from smooth there was, but it didn't seem to matter too much to Claire.

Sliding his hands into his pockets, he whistled lightly on the way back to his car.

 _Okay._

 **XXXXXX**

Claire stood, leaning on the other side of her door with a smirk as she heard Ichigo whistling back to his car.

 _He really is such a dork._

She couldn't explain why she had gone all 'Lightning' and grilled him so much, but from the moment she heard him say that he wanted to ask her on a date, it became far more important to her that he actually do so.

 _It's been ages since someone has asked me out. I think I am entitled to a little directness and clarification._

Regardless, she couldn't deny the slight surge of relief that she felt when he asked. It wasn't just her who was beginning to feel… something.

Sure, it was no declaration of love, and she was certainly not there, herself. Still, she liked him and he liked her.

There were worse starts.

He was a little awkward, she had to confess, yet the deeper admission was that she found it to be very appealing from him. Always so confident, always the de facto leader of the group, it was nice to see Ichigo be so—human.

 _Like he could be anything else_ , she thought, rolling her eyes.

Frowning, Claire shook her head, trying to clear her head and her stomach of the light feelings within.

 _It's just a date._

Huffing in aggravation at her sister's relentless voice within her mind, Claire made her way into her bedroom. Flopping onto the bed, she took stock of her night.

A great night with friends, the discovery—or proper cataloguing—of feelings, and her first date in literally centuries.

Not a bad day.

 **XXXXXX**

 _Melbourne, Australia_

Settling in for the night, Fang smiled as she watched Vanille wrap herself beneath the lion's share of their deep blue bedcovers with a soft shuffle.

 _Stingy little brat,_ she thought fondly.

Climbing into bed behind her, the protesting springs beneath her soon quieted, allowing her to peacefully reach forward, pulling her 'cover hog' to her.

A content hum was the only response from the quickly fading Vanille, but it was enough.

 _This world ain't so bad._

She had been worried, initially, when they had all but crashed into this new Earth. Not knowing what to expect, she had been uncertain that they could actually make their way in the 'civilized world,' as those Cocoon bastards would have described it.

Still, it had been quite fortunate that she and Vanille had arrived in a place called Australia. The name meant nothing to her, but it was fantastic that many there shared her accent.

 _Finally, I'm not the weird sounding one._

They shared her love of the drink, too, but that was another matter.

Fang and Vanille had found themselves strangely provided for within this new world, but who was she to look a gift-horse in the mouth?

Regardless of what it could mean, things were peaceful. She had her Vanille, she had quiet, and she lived in a land where men could finally keep pace with her at the pub.

 _For a little while, at least_ , she thought smugly.

Life was good.

As she did every night, she sent whatever hopes and prayers she could that her family and friends could find the same peace and enjoyment of their new lives.

She hoped that Hope had found some interesting gizmos to fool around with, something to keep his mega-brain occupied. Also, she hoped that the grumpy old man that was Sazh had finally lightened up with Dajh back in the picture. She hoped that Serah had finally beaten some sense into the harder-than-crystal head of Snow, and she hoped that Noel was finally happy now that he was with Yeul.

Yes, she missed them all, but as long as they were happy, she supposed she could accept it. She could only pray for their happiness in ways that she knew they would find it.

 _Though, whatever is out there hearing this, I really hope that you get that tight-ass Lightning laid._

Sleepily scratching a faint itch on her no-longer branded arm, she drifted off to sleep, unknowing that in distant lands across her new world, several other faint itches were being scratched.

 **XXXXXX**

 _Somewhere Over the Pacific Ocean_

 _TapTapTapTapTapTap_

Echoing taps filled the otherwise silent cabin of the soaring jetliner. Some were fast, some were slow, yet others were erratic—a strange mixture of the two.

 _Tap—_

The incessant noise finally ceasing, Hope Estheim looked up from his laptop computer, grimacing as he gently pinched the bridge of his nose.

 _The keyboards on Cocoon were never this noisy._

Leaning back into his seat, he took a brief moment to peer out of the window closest to him. The night was endless, stretching deep and dark into the distance, shy slivers of moonlight barely giving light.

 _I'm sure Vanille loves this kind of night._

Smiling softly to himself, Hope took the chance to reminisce about his scattered family. He missed them dearly, but held strongly to the desire that they had found as much to interest them in this new world as he had.

 _So much potential!_

The world was quite primitive, compared to the opulence of Cocoon. The technology was at least two, maybe three centuries behind in some cases.

And yet, that had been one of his favorite things about 'Earth'. The mind that he never could seem to turn off had more than enough projects to keep it occupied. His current favorite now rested on his lap.

It was a laptop computer, or at least it had started out in life as such. Hope had found that Earth's technology was quite open to modification and expansion. Within a week of landing somewhere called 'California', he had not only obtained a computer, but had begun modifications of everything from battery efficiency to algorithms for processing facial recognition of large batches of images.

Images that may—or may not—have been obtained legally.

How was he supposed to know the protocols of national security when he had only just learned the name of said country?

Still, the massive loopholes found in the technology had provided him with his first clean hit, and what a hit it had been.

By sheer coincidence, Hope had been looking up information about a place called 'Australia'. From glimpses of television shows and such, it seemed quite the Pulsian mirror, which had captured his attention.

While researching the country—which happened to be a massive island— Hope had found a video of locals in pubs, which had led to the hilarious images of Fang drinking men under the table.

 _We never fail to make an impact, it seems._

Regardless, it was beyond satisfying to see one of the people he called family. 

_Speaking of seeing them…_

Standing and peeking his head through the cockpit door, Hope asked, "How long before we land?"

A loud sigh met his query.

"You kids never seem to have any patience. We'll get there when we get there, Hope. How about you get some sleep? You know, quietly? That big ol' brain of yours has to slow down sometime."

Hope grinned at the scowling Sazh Katzroy, his second—and far simpler—find.

Scratching a light itch on his wrist, Hope decided to give the man's suggestion a try. Resting in a large seat, he turned and looked out the window once more.

 _Fang, Vanille, we'll see you soon._

 **XXXXXX**

Soul Society. A land seemingly trapped in time.

The land of eternity was clearly a dated place, modeled closely to what Japan's Edo period had reflected. Buildings, edifices, and the land itself painted a portrait of years long past. Customs and manners matched—with few exceptions—to create an 'ever after' that was defined by whatever soul was in question.

Even so, the Soul Society was not immune to change.

Within only a few years, there had been a brash, orange-haired young man that stormed the Seireitei and literally reshaped much of the land—and mind—scape of the realm that had been in existence for many millennia. Perspectives had broadened, and even the rigid laws of old had bent to his will.

He had been an unstoppable force, a human who protected the realm of the dead time and again.

 _Ugh, such a pest of a boy. I couldn't even get proper samples_ , Mayuri Kurotsuchi scoffed to himself as he tapped an unnamed rhythm with his long nails.

Glancing impatiently once more to a glowing screen within his laboratory, the enigmatic captain of the Research Squad returned to his uncharacteristically whimsical thoughts.

Soul Society was truly a fascinating blend of things both new and old. It was always interesting to see the workings of a realm in which strongholds sometimes fell to the forces of change, yet often remained as rotting corpses gilded in the appealing flesh of progress.

For all of its flaws, for all it's shortcomings, it worked.

Mayuri would openly admit that the system was not perfect; in fact, it was egregiously flawed from top to bottom. Some spirits came to find eternal rest in peace and comfort, while others would simply wither away in desolate poverty and grief, forced to join the cycle of reincarnation whether they were prepared or not.

And because of that, because there were such holes within the afterlife itself, therein lay its potential to be so interesting.

Imperfection allowed discovery. Flaws permitted innovation. The afterlife as it was provided a plethora of opportunities to reach beyond, to create more and more, to expand the boundaries of what was possible and to reach amongst the—

 _Well, it would if my blasted machinery did what I created it to do!_

His patience finally evaporated, Mayuri snapped from his thoughts to face the screen that seemed to mock his intelligence.

 _I will scrap you, you insolent hunk of metal! I will strip you down to bare parts and rewrite your coding from the very begi—_

 _BEEP._

Interrupted from his tantrum, he paused his plots of reconstruction as a printing sheet drew his attention. It was the quarterly report of soul influx, and he certainly hoped it was worth the near insufferable wait.

 _O-ho._

It seemed that the information could prove quite worth the wait, indeed.

"Akon! What exactly is the range for these figures?" he snapped, not even looking to see if his assistant was present.

A sharp crackle indicated the use of a microphone as the man replied, "Twelve weeks for total, focus is five weeks."

Mayuri froze.

 _Five weeks? Five weeks?!_

"Are you certain this is accurate?"

"Yes, sir. There are over one thousand purified souls unaccounted for at the beginning of the quarter. Konso's are on record, but the souls never made it to Soul Society."

"And the Dangai?"

"Unaffected, as far as we can tell."

Rustling the papers in his hands, Mayuri hummed thoughtfully.

"Very well, dismissed."

It was as if those five weeks had simply not occurred. The months before, the months after, all progressed with a striking regularity. Yet, the glaring hole of those five weeks was—interesting.

As he gazed unseeing at the screen on the wall before him, the intrigued captain pondered on what he had just learned. Though concerning, the numbers were still not quite significant enough to warrant extreme action.

Not when there were samples to be found and eventually gathered.

Whether or not that remained the case, he would have to keep a close eye on things.

 _Perhaps the afterlife is going to become entertaining yet again._

 **XXXXXX**

Kisuke Urahara raised a curious brow as he clicked on a report within his system.

It had been ages since he had hacked into Mayuri's laboratory, installing his own devices to both intercept and deliver the data received by the current captain of the Research and Development squad.

The theft—or sharing, as he liked to call it—was something he felt to be vital to the survival of many within not only Soul Society, but the living world and even Hueco Mundo itself. In all actuality, the information was only supplementary at best to his own system.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was not known for his humanity, nor his appreciation for life. As a result, Kisuke had created his own silent system of checks and balances for the ranking scientist.

 _That, and the tantrums he throws when I correct him with his own information make for such deliciously satisfying moments._

 _BEEP._

Seeing that his computers had decrypted the borrowed files, Kisuke perused the latest batch of data from the flow of purified souls.

 _My my._

The numbers that he read were disturbing.

There had been times where the flow of souls had thinned, and even brief windows where there had been none at all. However, there had never been a time when weeks had passed by and not a single konsoed soul had arrived within Soul Society.

The implications were intriguing, indeed.

Correlating the data with the last batch of reports he had generated, Kisuke decided that it was best to begin investigating. Perhaps he would call on Ichigo, to see if the young man had been aware of any irregularities lately. If something nefarious was afoot, it was nearly certain that his former student would be at the center of it.

 _Not to mention, I hear that he has a new girlfriend. It's been far too long since I have antagonized the boy._

Smiling to himself, Kisuke stood and began to prepare for his latest round of a game he fondly titled, 'Poke the Bear-y.'


End file.
